There’s way too much talent on the Carolina Panthers roster to believe an improvement from last year’s campaign isn’t in the offing entering the 2020-21 NFL betting season. Ron Rivera proved to be good enough to hold onto his job throughout his nine-year stay in Carolina, but the franchise never truly did much of anything under his watch. Yes, the Panthers did go on to represent the NFC in Super Bowl 50 but more or less got manhandled in a 24-10 defeat to Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Other than that, there were three other playoff appearances; losing twice in the division round and once in the wild card round. With that, team owner David Tepper went out and snagged his guy in the form of Matt Rhule who did a phenomenal job revitalizing the Baylor Bears football program after the prior regime burnt it to the ground. The hope is he can sprinkle some of that magic dust on a Panthers franchise that looks to be headed in an entirely new direction with Cam Newton no longer in the mix.
Carolina Panthers Season Win Total: 5.5
Losing records in three of the last four seasons surmise all you need to know as to why linemakers aren’t bullish on the Panthers this upcoming season. Last year’s team grossly underachieved in accruing a 5-11 record to bring up the rear of the NFC South and come woefully short of surpassing their 8-game season win total odds. On top of that, the team managed a below average 6-9-1 record versus the closing NFL lines. However, you simply have to take into account the fact that it played a bulk of the schedule shorthanded after Newton succumbed to a season-ending foot injury after Week 2. Because of it, the offense suffered from inconsistent quarterback play the rest of the way.
Kyle Allen started 12 games and played to an 80 QB rating with a 17:16 TD/INT ratio. His stats would’ve been even worse had the fantasy juggernaut otherwise known as Christian McCaffrey not been in his backfield. Thankfully, Allen and his below average stats as a starter are no longer on the roster. In his stead is Teddy Bridgewater who came to Carolina via free agency after letting the rest of the NFL betting world know he was fully capable of leading an NFL offense after stepping in for relief of Drew Brees and coming out successful. The cupboard is far from barren for the Panthers new QB1. DJ Moore is an up and coming WR1 stud. In his second year in the league last season, he reeled in 87 receptions and turned them into 1175 yards. Flanking him was speedster Curtis Samuel who led the receivers in TD with six. Added to the mix this past offseason was former NY Jet Robby Anderson who has shown flashes of brilliance over the course of his 4-year career.
The cherry on top of this delicious offensive sundae is RUN CMC. After combining for a shade less than 2,000 all-purpose yards and 13 TD in 2019-20, the former Stanford Cardinal let it be known that he was far and away the best running back in the game a short season ago. The dude was nothing short of a cheat code in rushing for nearly 1,400 yards while reeling in 116 receptions and turning them into 1,005 yards. To add insult to injury for opposing defenses, he scored 19 combined touchdowns. For the last half of the season, he cost well over $10K on DFS sites. If unfamiliar of what that means, it means he was traveling in rarefied air. It didn’t matter. Regardless of what he cost, he at the very least played to value and more times than not got his backers in the money. The kids a stud and will once again be a clamored for lethal weapon in upcoming fantasy football drafts. Linemakers will have their hands full setting his player props every passing week.
Carolina Panthers Football Schedule
Week 1: Raiders at Panthers, Sunday, September 13, 1 p.m. ET
Week 2: Panthers at Buccaneers, Sunday, September 20, 1 p.m. ET
Week 3: Panthers at Chargers, Sunday, September 27, 4:05 p.m. ET
Week 4: Cardinals at Panthers, Sunday, October 4, 1 p.m. ET
Week 5: Panthers at Falcons, Sunday, October 11, 1 p.m. ET
Week 6: Bears at Panthers, Sunday, October 18, 1 p.m. ET
Week 7: Panthers at Saints, Sunday, October 25, 1 p.m. ET
Week 8: Falcons at Panthers, Thursday, October 29, 8:20 p.m. ET
Week 9: Panthers at Chiefs, Sunday, November 8, 1 p.m. ET
Week 10: Buccaneers at Panthers, Sunday, November 15, 1 p.m. ET
Week 11: Lions at Panthers, Sunday, November 22, 1 p.m. ET
Week 12: Panthers at Vikings, Sunday, November 29, 1 p.m. ET
Week 13: Bye Week
Week 14: Broncos at Panthers, Sunday, December 13, 1 p.m. ET
Week 15: Panthers at Packers, Monday, December 20, 1 p.m. ET
Week 16: Panthers at Redskins, Sunday, December 27, 1 p.m. ET
Week 17: Saints at Panthers, Sunday, January 3, 1 p.m. ET
Carolina Panthers Schedule Analysis
The Panthers own the 27th toughest strength of schedule in the league. None of that will mean anything if the defense doesn’t find an identity quickly after administering a complete overhaul this past offseason. As good the offense can be with the talent littered up and down the roster, it won’t amount to anything if the stop unit can’t figure out how to come up with a number of stops. That said, upper management did a phenomenal job with its draft picks. Auburn’s Derrick Brown and Penn State’s Yetur Gross-Matos are going to be elected to Pro Bowls for years to come. Jeremy Chinn was a huge upgrade at the safety position, and Kenny Robinson proved to be the best of the best at the CB position in the XFL. Carolina used every one of its draft picks on the defensive side of the ball, and came out looking great when it was said and done. While it’s likely a year or two too early to expect Carolina to make much of any noise in the NFC South with it looking like a two-horse race between New Orleans and Tampa Bay now that the GOAT is nestled in under center for the Bucs, there are at least six wins on this schedule in my opinion. Even if Teddy B doesn’t pan out or get injured, the franchise made a smart move by signing Phillip Walker who was the favorite to win the MVP award before the XFL was forced to end early due to the coronavirus. Hit the over and take the short plus-money return!
Carolina Panthers Season Win Total Prediction: Over 5.5 +101
BookMaker offers play-by-play betting odds for live sporting events every day! The user-friendly wagering interface on your smartphone provides an easy way to place bets on the go. Mobile betting lines are updated by the minute, so click here to start gambling on thrilling live action at BookMaker Sportsbook!
