David Tepper bought the Carolina Panthers in 2018. Tepper promised that he would do his best to bring a Super Bowl to Charlotte, and he made a huge splash when he hired Matt Rhule from Baylor and signed Rhule to a seven-year contract worth $62 million in January 2020. Unfortunately, it looks like Rhule might not be cut out for the job as Carolina has now won just five games in three straight seasons, and there has been little sign of improvement. Rhule’s contract might buy him more time than a normal coach, but the Panthers might be looking for a way out if they have another down season in 2022.
Carolina Panthers Season Win Total
Over 6 Wins -110
Under 6 Wins -110
2022 Carolina Panthers Schedule
| WEEK | MATCHUP |
| 1 | Vs. Cleveland Browns |
| 2 | @ New York Giants |
| 3 | Vs. New Orleans Saints |
| 4 | Vs. Arizona Cardinals |
| 5 | Vs. San Francisco 49ers |
| 6 | @ Los Angeles Rams |
| 7 | Vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 8 | @ Atlanta Falcons |
| 9 | @ Cincinnati Bengals |
| 10 | Vs. Atlanta Falcons |
| 11 | @ Baltimore Ravens |
| 12 | Vs. Denver Broncos |
| 13 | BYE WEEK |
| 14 | @ Seattle Seahawks |
| 15 | Vs. Pittsburgh Steelers |
| 16 | Vs. Detroit Lions |
| 17 | @ Tampa Bay Buccaneers |
| 18 | @ New Orleans Saints |
Carolina Panthers Offense
The Panthers had hoped that their offense would turn around under Rhule, but Carolina has taken two steps backwards in his two seasons at the helm. Teddy Bridgewater posted mediocre numbers in 2020, so the Panthers decided to take a big risk by trading three draft picks to the New York Jets for Sam Darnold. Unfortunately, this offense was even worse under Darnold as he completed less than 60% of his passes and threw nine touchdowns and 13 interceptions in 12 games while taking 35 sacks. The offensive line should be improved though after the Panthers took left tackle Ikem Ekwonu with the No. 6 overall pick.
That led to Carolina starting P.J. Walker and re-signing Cam Newton, but Walker and Newton were both worse. The Panthers were hoping to bring in Deshaun Watson this offseason, but when that failed, they drafted Matt Corral in the third round. Darnold will be the starter as it will take some time for Corral to adjust to the NFL. That doesn’t bode well for this offense in 2022 although there are some decent options at the skill positions.
D.J. Moore is one of the most underrated receivers in the league, and Terrace Marshall Jr. should be better in his second season with Carolina. Robbie Anderson is more talented than last year’s numbers indicate too, as the Panthers largely used him as an underneath receiver.
The big question will be at running back as standout Christian McCaffrey has missed the bulk of the last two seasons due to injury. Run CMC was excellent and set NFL records in 2018 and 2019, but he has played in a total of 10 games since that point. The Panthers signed McCaffrey to a big extension, yet he hasn’t been able to do much on the field.
Carolina Panthers Defense
This defense was much better than you might think it was in 2021. Carolina ranked second in total defense, and while some of that was the result of offenses turning it off early, the Panthers were very good on this side of the ball. Derrick Brown and Brian Burns have turned out to be excellent players up front, but it won’t be easy to replace linebacker Haason Reddick.
Carolina could have one of the top secondaries in the NFL though. Rookie Jaycee Horn was excellent through his first few games before he suffered a season-ending injury, and Donte Jackson played very well opposite Horn. C.J. Henderson may have found a role as a nickel cornerback, and the safeties were pretty good last year too.
Prediction
As with many of the other teams in the NFL, the Panthers could instantly turn things around with the right quarterback. This defense should be a top ten unit in 2022 if Horn stays healthy, but the offense will likely be one of the five worst in the league as Darnold has showed he is not the answer.
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