Jim Powers NFL Season Betting Preview:
This will be a rebuilding season for the Carolina Panthers. Owner David Tepper made the decision to start anew this offseason with the departure of Ron Rivera and Cam Newton. After the retirement of Luke Kuechly, they are without their three most recognizable leaders and the season odds for the Carolina Panthers reflect that.
Tepper looked to the college ranks to revamp this team, and he opened up his checkbook to land his man. Matt Rhule signed a seven-year, $62 million deal, becoming the highest paid first-year head coach in NFL history. Rhule brought in LSU offensive guru Joe Brady to be his offensive coordinator, and there is palpable excitement about what he will do with this side of the ball.
Carolina Panthers Regular Season Win Total
Over 5.5 -120
Under 5.5 +100
Carolina Panthers to Make the Playoffs Odds
Yes +400
No -556
One-Man Show on Offense
After years of wondering when he will get another chance, Teddy Bridgewater is set to be a starting quarterback. Bridgewater shined in five starts with the Saints after Drew Brees got injured. Bridgewater completed 67.9 percent of his passes for 1,384 yards with nine touchdowns and two interceptions. Saints’ head coach Sean Payton was very effusive with his praise of New Orleans’ backup quarterback. It’s unlikely Bridgewater will be asked to make 40 throws a game, and he will probably be used as a game manger.
Christian McCaffrey will be used often in this offense. McCaffrey broke the single season record for running back receptions in consecutive years, and accumulated over 400 touches in 2019. He averaged 4.8 YPC and 8.7 YPR last season, and Brady might use him even more in the offense. The Stanford product is a real NFL MVP contender and there is a chance he can flirt with 3,000 yards from scrimmage.
The Panthers haven’t had a go-to receiver since Steve Smith departed Charlotte after the 2013 season. Carolina has spent early draft picks on Curtis Samuel and D.J. Moore in the last few years. The front office added Robby Anderson in the offseason, but these three receivers are not likely to surpass 1,000 yards. Veteran tight end Greg Olsen signed with Seattle in the offseason, so McCaffrey could end up with twice as many targets as his teammates if he stays healthy.
Eaten Alive on Defense
This front seven was the worst at stopping the run last season. Carolina was historically bad in run defense, and that was surprising given the Panthers brought in former All-Pro Gerald McCoy to pair with Kawann Short along the defensive line. The Panthers parted ways with McCoy in the offseason, and they used their top two draft picks on shoring up this front with the addition of Derrick Brown and Yetur Gross-Matos. Last year’s first round pick Brian Burns proved to be a great pass rusher and should improve in 2020.
There will be a massive hole in the middle of the linebacking corps without Kuechly in the lineup. Ex-Raider Tahir Whitehead will do his best to fill the gap, but it won’t be easy. Shaq Thompson is solid, but there isn’t a proven option at the other linebacker position.
This secondary isn’t great either. Donte Jackson hasn’t been what the Panthers were hoping for in his two years with Carolina, and Eli Apple has been a disappointment during his four NFL seasons. It’s not good to have a subpar secondary in any division, but it’s particularly bad in the NFC South.
Carolina Panthers Schedule
A last-place schedule will help Carolina as the Panthers will face Washington and Arizona. This team has the benefit of playing the AFC West as Kansas City is the only team projected to finish better than .500. However, the NFC North isn’t an easy division as every team except Detroit is a playoff contender.
The NFC South is significantly better than it was last season because of Tampa Bay’s improvement. That makes it unlikely that Carolina wins more than two games in division play. Atlanta will be its easiest opponent in the division, but even the Falcons figure to be much better than the Panthers.
2020 Futures: Carolina Panthers Prediction
While the future might be bright for Rhule and Brady in Carolina, the present is bleak. This team doesn’t have great weapons on offense aside from McCaffrey, and the defense needs significant help. The ‘under’ on the Carolina Panthers season odds is the right side here.
