Panthers Schedule – NFL Football
Carolina finished the season as one of the hottest teams in the NFL but it can be easy to play loose when there is no pressure on you. The Panthers have one of the most dynamic players in the NFL in Cam Newton but the rest of their playmakers are probably on offense are not quite good enough to push this team into serious contention.
Still with Newton they can make things interesting.
2013 Carolina Panthers Preview/Predictions
2012 Record: 7-9
ATS Record: 9-7
2013 Team Futures
Super Bowl Odds: +4500
Conference Odds: +3200
Division Odds: +400
For a team that finished with a losing record the Carolina Panthers didn’t make any significant impact moves over the offseason. They did add some nice pieces to the defense through the draft but mostly they are hoping that Cam Newton will improve. It would have been nice to see at least one move that might have aided his progress…anything
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With Newton being as good a running threat at QB as there is in the NFL the Panthers are a very good running team. They have a nice line and RBs Jonathan Stewart and DeAngelo Williams are effective backs. I chose the word effective because neither scares you all that much these days. The interesting part of the running game was the lone addition with the drafting of RB Kenjon Barner out of Oregon. Barner has real speed and it might be worth giving him enough carries to see if he can make a difference rather than relegating him to garbage time.
When forced to throw it is a crime that Newton does not have a decent compliment of weapons around him. Steve Smith is a nice story and has been super productive but he can be controlled in the passing game if focused upon, especially as his athleticism declines. The other receiving options are Brandon Lafell and a couple of special teams castoffs in Ted Ginn and Domenik Hixon. Hardly the types to put a scare in the defense. They want Newton to improve but they haven’t given him much to work with. TE Greg Olson is only so-so thought more is expected of him. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
The defense could be better than last year’s middle of the pack unit if NT Star Lotulelei is as good as advertised. If so he will be a major disruptor in the middle of the line making their rush end combination of Greg Hardy and Charles Johnson even better. Last year’s defensive rookie of the year LB Luke Kuechly didn’t skip a beat going from Boston College to the Pros. I am still not sure how to pronounce his name but I know he can swallow up ball carriers with ease. The secondary isn’t great but overall this can be a top 10 defense like they were last year – 10th in yards to be precise.
Overall Outlook: Their horrid start killed this team last year and I am worried that it could happen all over again in 2013. Their first two home games are against the Seattle Seahawks and New York Giants and in between is a trip to Buffalo. They could easily lose all of those games and be 0-3 heading into their early bye week. There are not a lot of wins on the schedule when you look at it closely so I think they will take a step back in terms of SU record while probably maintaining the same kind of ATS success they did last year. My gut tells me that coach Ron Rivera may not survive the season as those ATS victories may help us out but they won’t help a coach who needs all he can get right now.
2013 Panthers Predictions:
Place they will finish in the NFC South: 4th
Place they will finish in the NFC: 15th
