Carolina Panthers 2021-2022 Season Preview, Odds and Win Totals

The Matt Rhule era began with plenty of excitement for the Carolina Panthers in 2020, but notable injuries, inconsistencies at the quarterback position along with struggles on defense paved the way to a 5-11 record in his first season.

The most decorated quarterback in team history, Cam Newton had departed for New England after being released, and Teddy Bridgewater was brought in on a 3-year deal to take over under the new regime. The 28-year old veteran had moments of brilliance but struggled to find consistency going 4-11 with just 15 touchdowns and 11 interceptions.

Star running back Christian McCaffrey only played in three games for the Panthers in 2020, leaving their Week 2 loss to the Buccaneers with a high ankle sprain. He would then return in Week 9 when the Panthers faced the Chiefs, but McCaffrey left with a shoulder injury, causing him to miss the rest of the season.

There were a few positives for Panthers fans to take away from last season. Backup running back Mike Davis was sensational filling in for McCaffrey as he racked up over 1,000 total yards from scrimmage. Additionally, the Panthers had two receivers clear 1,000 receiving yards in Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore. On the defensive side of the ball, rookie linebacker Jeremy Chinn led the team in tackles, and second-year edge rusher Brian Burns took a massive step forward; leading Carolina with nine sacks.

Carolina Panthers 2021 Outlook

The Panthers’ primary objective this offseason was to address the quarterback position. They got the ball rolling by trading away Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos for a sixth-round pick, and then acquired Jets quarterback Sam Darnold for another sixth-round pick, along with a second and fourth-rounder in 2022.

Darnold is still just 24-years old after three underwhelming seasons with the Jets, but the Panthers believe they’ve put him in a far better position for success than what he had in New York. He’ll have a healthy McCaffrey behind him in the backfield that until 2020, had put up over 1,000 rushing and over 100 receptions the previous two seasons. Two very solid receivers in Moore and former Jets teammate Anderson will also help Darnold immensely.

On defense, the young nucleus of Chinn, Burns, and defensive tackle Derrick Brown should continue to develop the young and improving core. Their addition of Arizona’s Hassan Reddick who had double-digit sacks in Arizona should help out a pass rush that was among the worst in the NFL from a season ago.

Carolina Panthers 2021 NFL Draft

Carolina went back to the defensive side of the ball in their first round, selecting South Carolina ballhawk Jaycee Horn at No. 8 overall. In the second round, the pick of LSU wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. was the first offensive player chosen in the draft by the Panthers since 2019. The Panthers also solidified their offensive line in the third round with BYU’s Brady Christensen, and added Notre Dame tight end Tommy Tremble in the fourth.

Carolina Panthers Odds: Division (+850), Conference (+3000), Super Bowl (+6000)

The Panthers and Falcons are tied for the final spot to win the NFC South division according to the odds at WynnBET at +850. The Bucs are the clear favorites at -220, with the Saints behind them at +300. 

The oddsmakers don’t see much opportunity for Carolina to surprise this year, having their NFC conference odds at 30/1, while doubling up to win the Super Bowl at 60/1.

Carolina Panthers Regular Season Win Total: 7.5 WINS | OVER (+105), UNDER (-125)

Ben Heisler:

I’ve bought into what Matt Rhule is building in Carolina. If healthy, the offense has plenty of playmakers to stretch the field and provide Sam Darnold multiple legitimate options. McCaffrey’s ability to be a dynamic weapon as a runner and receiver will force defenses to take players out of the box, and Darnold should be able to find multiple mismatches on almost every possession with Robby Anderson and D.J. Moore on the outside and slot respectively.

The question is, will the change of scenery be the cause of the lightbulb finally going on in his head?

I still believe in Darnold’s talent, and Panthers offensive coordinator Joe Brady is one of the brightest young minds in the game, but he still remains turnover prone and it will take some time to coach out some of his bad habits from his years in New York under Adam Gase.

The defense will continue to improve with the additions of Horn as an impact playmaker at cornerback, and I like the move to bring in Hassan Reddick to a team in need of multiple passrushers.

It won’t be a banner year as I see a seven-win season in the cards for Carolina, but I do think we’ll see moments from Darnold where we collectively say, “So that’s why he was drafted third overall.” 

As longtime college basketball analyst Fran Fraschilla once put it, the Panthers are, “a year away from being a year away. Compared to previous seasons, that’s not a bad thing at all.

PREDICTION: UNDER 7.5 WINS (-120)

EXACT WIN TOTAL: 7 WINS (+400)

Donnavan Smoot:

The Carolina Panthers are an interesting case this season. They decided to put their faith in Sam Darnold at quarterback, which I feel is going to be very beneficial for them. Christian McCaffrey is also going to be healthy, and with those two players on the offensive side of the ball, I would think they could improve a great deal. 

Despite the league adding an extra game, I don’t see the Panthers’ record improving all that much this year. 

Carolina is going to be the third-best team in the division, at best. The Buccaneers and Saints are still set to run the division. 

The Panthers had a middle of the pack defense last year, allowing the 18th most points per game (25.1). They bolstered that defense in the offseason and used a first round draft pick to get a cornerback, hoping their defense could be a strong spot again. Where they really need help is offense. That's why Darnold is so important. 

Teddy Bridgewater is the epitome of average. He threw 15 touchdown passes last year and 11 interceptions. He was never going to do anything special for the Panthers which is why I’m glad they moved on. Darnold has a higher upside and will thrive next to Joe Brady. 

I like what the Panthers’ potential looks like on paper, but I just can't bring myself to see them putting the pieces together and having a significant season. They will be right back in the front half of the draft next year.

PREDICTION: UNDER 7.5 WINS (-125)

EXACT WIN TOTAL: 6 WINS (+500)

Peter Dewey:  

The Panthers are entering a new era in 2021 with Sam Darnold as the team’s franchise quarterback for at least this season. Christian McCaffrey is back after missing the majority of the 2020 season due to injury, but oddsmakers aren’t too confident in the Panthers to turn things around. 

Carolina is projected just 7.5 wins with the under (-125) as the clear favorite to the over (+105). While the Panthers have some solid young pieces on both sides of the ball, Darnold is a major question mark and will likely determine just how far this team can go. 

The Panthers were in the middle of the pack defensively last season (allowed the 15th-most yards in the NFL), and they added cornerback Jaycee Horn in the first round of this year’s draft. Jeremy Chinn, Derrick Brown, Brian Burns, Shaq Thompson and Donte Jackson highlight an up-and-coming defensive unit, but it will need to take a leap this year to help carry an uncertain offense. 

The Panthers win projection really comes down to how much you believe in Darnold, and with WynnBET setting him as the favorite to lead the NFL in interceptions this season, I’d say the confidence isn’t really there. 

Carolina also has a brutal end to the season, as it has to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers twice in the final four weeks. Their other two matchups in those weeks? Carolina is on the road against Buffalo and New Orleans. Yikes. I’ll be taking the under at -125. 

PREDICTION: UNDER 7.5 WINS (-125)

EXACT WIN TOTAL: 6 WINS (+500)

Iain MacMillan:

The Carolina Panthers opted to trade for Sam Darnold from the New York Jets in the offseason, and then traded away quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to the Denver Broncos. This might have been my least favorite decision by any NFL team this offseason.

Bridgewater had a 69.1% completion rate last season while throwing for over 3,700 yards. He’s been one of the more consistent quarterbacks in the league throughout his career, but yet he’s been consistently undervalued. While the Panthers weren’t exactly a great team last year, Bridgewater carried them further than they deserved to, especially considering their star offensive player, Christian McCaffrey missed the majority of the season.

May Sam Darnold will thrive in the new environment in Carolina, but I highly doubt it. He had his worst season in the league in his 3rd year in 2020, completing only 59.6% of passes for an average of 6.1 yards. He also threw 11 interceptions to only nine touchdowns, while also losing four fumbles. It’s a mystery to me why the Panthers wanted him under center as opposed to Bridgewater, but we’ll see how this experiment goes.

Without even considering their defense or coaching, I’ll be fading the Panthers solely on the fact that they have Darnold as their quarterback. I refuse to believe a Darnold-led team can surpass seven wins in the regular season.

PREDICTION: UNDER 7.5 WINS (-120)

EXACT WIN TOTAL: 4 (+1000)

Will the Carolina Panthers Make the Playoffs? | MISS THE PLAYOFFS (-340), MAKE THE PLAYOFFS (+230)

Ben Heisler:

A seven-win season in Carolina won’t get it done for a playoff spot, especially as the NFL season shifts to 17 games. 

For Carolina to even sniff a playoff spot, they’ll need to rack up some early wins against teams like the Jets and the Texans in the first few weeks of the season. As my colleague Peter Dewey mentioned earlier, their final four game stretch is killer. They have three of four matchups on the road, including two against the defending champion Buccaneers, the Saints in New Orleans, and the Bills in Buffalo.

Carolina will be fun to watch when healthy on both sides of the ball, but even if Darnold takes a substantial step forward, they simply don’t have enough to contend with the top two teams in the division, and the insane amount of talent coming from the NFC West.

PREDICTION: NO (-340)

Donnavan Smoot:

Carolina won’t be making the playoffs in 2021. I feel the same way about the Panthers that I do about a majority of teams with playoff hopes in the NFC. I believe in the strength of the NFC West and think that only one spot will be available for five teams on the bubble. 

The Panthers won’t be on the bubble in the first place, as a result of not winning enough games, but having hopes and dreams is always nice. Carolina needs to focus and find out if Sam Darnold can actually play and then they can think about if he can lead a team to the playoffs. 

It’s hard to make the postseason when you aren’t in the top two of your division and that is exactly where they are right now.

PREDICTION: NO (-340)

Peter Dewey: 

Similar to Atlanta, I simply don’t see a way that Carolina gets into the playoffs this season. Darnold, in theory, could have a breakout season and push Carolina way above its win projection but that seems way too optimistic. 

I only have the Panthers picking up six wins, and 6-11 isn’t going to come close to make the playoffs in the NFC. Carolina’s awful schedule to end the year and the fact that it plays in a division that features one of the league’s best teams in Tampa Bay doesn’t bode well for its chances of turning things around just yet. 

PREDICTION: NO (-340)

Iain MacMillan:

I do not see a path for the Panthers to make the postseason. They’re the third-best team in the NFC South at best, but I still think they’re behind the Atlanta Falcons. That, paired with a stacked NFC West and a Minnesota Vikings team that should take a step forward this season, there doesn’t seem to be a wild card spot left for a team like the Panthers.

The Panthers also have to deal with a third place schedule, which will include games against the Vikings and Arizona Cardinals which are certainly no gimmies. They do get to play against the lowly Houston Texans in their additional 17th game, which may be the long bright spot on their schedule.

The day Sam Darnold leads a team to the playoffs is the day that I stop giving out hot takes.

PREDICTION: NO (-340)

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Every day from the start of NFL Training Camp, the BetSided team of Ben Heisler, Donnavan Smoot, Peter Dewey and Iain MacMillan are breaking down the win totals, playoff and Super Bowl odds for every team in the NFL.

Check back Saturday at 1 p.m. EDT when we preview the betting outlook for the Indianapolis Colts, and check out our earlier team previews for the Atlanta Falcons,  Tampa Bay Buccaneers and New Orleans Saints.

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