The Carolina Panthers aren't making the playoffs in 2020, but they might eclipse their 5.5 over/under win projection. However, doing so is a challenge given the state of their franchise along with a lack of live, offseason workouts.
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This bodes as a challenge for a team who must play a three-headed monster in the NFC South while also facing the wild AFC West.
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And while they did well in free agency and the NFL Draft, a crash course awaits the bunch to mesh in training camp. It isn't impossible, but it is tough for the team to finish higher than their 5.5 over/under win projection in 2020.
If you are planning to bet at NFL betting sites on the the Panthers in 2020, these five factors that will challenge the Panthers this season.
1. The Weakest Sister
Playing in a division that features three of the NFL's hottest air raids is never easy, but when you are the weak link in the division, the outing intensifies. While Tom Brady, Drew Brees, and Matt Ryan are no longer young, they each continue to play at a high level.
The Panthers offense returns three full-time starters from the previous season's team. Four projected starters on defense are rookies. Two of which reside in the defensive backfield while another two are on the line.
It's clear that the loss of offseason workouts largely affects this team.
If you add up the lack of practices and four rookie starters, it definitely poses a challenge.
And get this, each of the teams in the Panthers division finished third, fifth, and ninth in total offense in 2019. The Panthers defense? 23rd. Now that the team revamped each position unit, this may spell disaster for six of the team's 16 games.
2. Playing the AFC West's Best
The rebuilding Carolina Panthers defense is in for a treat as they face the wild AFC West. We already know what the Kansas City Chiefs can do to playoff-caliber defenses, having scored an astounding 39 points per game throughout the playoffs.
With the likes of Patrick Mahomes becoming the hottest player in the league, along with an arsenal of pass catchers at his disposal and a new running back in Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs again figure to pick up where their dangerous offense left off.
For the Panthers, the Chiefs are one team whose experience level and success are too much. But it isn't just Kansas City.
While the rest of the AFC West may or may not contain playoff-caliber teams in 2020, each AFC West team possesses offensive talent, and it is tough to say whether the Panthers can hang with quarterback Derek Carr of the Las Vegas Raiders.
Once almost an afterthought over the team's last season in Oakland, Carr tossed for over 4,000 yards.
He found an excellent pass catcher in Darren Waller, an inspiring player who led the team with 90 receptions.
Carr also has the benefit of one of the NFL's best offensive lines blocking for him, and he has a dangerous receiving duo in Hunter Renfrow and Henry Ruggs III. Let's also not forget two decent receivers in Tyrell Williams and tight end Jason Witten.
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Or Josh Jacobs, an emerging running back who rushed for 1,150 yards on 4.8 yards per carry in 2019.
The Denver Broncos are about as young as the Panthers, but the latter must respect the Broncos reload job.
It starts with running backs Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon. Lindsay produces like a featured back, but he is undersized. This explains why the Broncos went out and got Gordon, a borderline bust considering his draft position in 2015, but he found a niche as a short-yardage specialist.
Then, they have Courtland Sutton pairing with the incoming Jerry Jeudy at receiver, with Drew Lock throwing the football. Lock, who started five games in 2019, finished 4-1 in those starts and looks to take the next step.
Next, there are the Los Angeles Chargers, who put together a top five offense. And while the face of the franchise, Philip Rivers, left for Indianapolis, Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert are more than capable to fill his shoes.
And they too have an arsenal of talent surrounding them, with Hunter Henry at tight end, Austin Ekeler coming out of the backfield, along with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams at receiver.
If Herbert or Taylor throw for even two-thirds of the passing yards Rivers threw for in 2019, the Chargers offense will click. Sure, not all of these teams listed are good. In fact, other than the Chiefs, the other three are mysteries.
But when you compare the rebuilding Carolina defense that hasn't seen any live practice until training camp started back in July, you must wonder if they can keep up.
Sure, the Panthers can upset any of the teams listed not named the Chiefs (though anything is possible on any given Sunday in the NFL). The offense can come out firing. But the Panthers will find it difficult to hang with some of the NFL's best offenses that live in the AFC West.
3. Minimal Practice, No Preseason, Big Problem
This one will hurt. The Panthers have roughly 45 days and zero preseason games to mesh a roster where the number of returning projected starters among the 22 positions totaling offense and defense is 7.
Then, they open up the season against the re-surging Las Vegas Raiders before a road trip to Tampa and a cross-country trip to Los Angeles. After that, it's home against the Arizona Cardinals.
Each team possesses explosive offenses in 2020, and the Panthers will need to rely on Teddy Bridgewater to hang with the likes of Derek Carr, Drew Brees, and Kyler Murray.
And the schedule doesn't get any easier with a trip to Atlanta before another road trip to New Orleans two weeks later and finally, a date with the Falcons again, the Chiefs, then the Bucs.
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The offense has hidden talent with Bridgewater, McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, and others. The defense is raw and many players are new to the league. The offense, while also revamped contains experienced, proven players. Guys like Teddy Bridgewater made the Pro Bowl in the past. Russell Okung is an NFL lifer, as is Michael Schofield.
Christian McCaffrey is the most complete back slash receiver in football.
The defense is cause for concern. We already discussed the teams on the schedule, but they can easily be a 2-10 or 3-9 team come their bye week in Week 13.
The offensive firepower they face is too great, and some of these teams like the Saints and Chiefs also boast fantastic defenses.
In a normal season, this is hard enough. But in a season where there's no offseason, a truncated training camp, and no preseason, it doesn't get any easier.
4. Barren Pass Rush
It seems like this entire article is about the defense's ineptitude, but talent exists on defense. It is more of the fact that they are young and lack NFL experience. But with the roster makeover came the loss of some talented defensive pieces.
In 2019, the Panthers ranked second in sacks with 53.
Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe are both in Dallas, and they are fantastic pieces to plug up the middle.
- Their top tackler in Luke Kuechly retired.
- Their second-best tackler in Eric Reid also walked.
- James Bradberry and Vernon Butler, two more perennial starters, also left.
But losing Addison and Irvin will hurt more than anything else. With the two chasing quarterbacks, they allowed their defense to rank eighth in the league in interceptions with 14. It kept the team capable of making plays and creating turnovers.
Without Addison and Irvin at the ends, in comes Brian Burns and Yetur Gross-Matos, who have a combined five NFL starts.
Burns is entering his second season and finished third on the team with 7.5 sacks, so it is up to Gross-Matos to get used to the game and take pressure off Burns.
The interior rush comprises Kawann Short and Derrick Brown. Between them, Brown is a rookie and Short appeared in just two games because of injury.
The inexperienced defensive front will give quarterbacks time to find open receivers, and it is likely they will have trouble stopping the run.
5. A Rookie Coaching Staff
Then, there is the coaching staff, where 15 new staff members are now giving the team a crash course as they implement their system and get ready for what is a strange season.
It starts with Matt Rhule, who is in his first NFL head coaching gig. Rhule built a reputation of turning around college programs, but can he turn around NFL teams?
We will wait and see. Rhule did a phenomenal job with adding a nice blend of free agents and draft picks, but the obvious downside is the lack of practice time.
Adding a new system is tough enough, especially with two-thirds of the projected starters either being new to the team or are in first time gigs.
One name that jumps out is offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who received praise throughout the league, yet it is his first time in the role of offensive coordinator. He, along with assistant quarterback coach Matt Lombardi, are entering only their third season in the NFL.
Look through the NFL history books and find coaching staff that succeeded where the head coach's last stop was the college ranks, and almost half of his assistants also had zero experience coaching at the NFL level.
Now, add a year where an event wiped out the entire off-season practices and you can count on one hand how many teams were successful in that first season.
Conclusion
Or Josh Jacobs, an emerging running back who rushed for 1,150 yards on 4.8 yards per carry in 2019.
The Denver Broncos are about as young as the Panthers, but the latter must respect the Broncos reload job.
It starts with running backs Phillip Lindsay and Melvin Gordon. Lindsay produces like a featured back, but he is undersized. This explains why the Broncos went out and got Gordon, a borderline bust considering his draft position in 2015, but he found a niche as a short-yardage specialist.
Then, they have Courtland Sutton pairing with the incoming Jerry Jeudy at receiver, with Drew Lock throwing the football. Lock, who started five games in 2019, finished 4-1 in those starts and looks to take the next step.
Next, there are the Los Angeles Chargers, who put together a top five offense. And while the face of the franchise, Philip Rivers, left for Indianapolis, Tyrod Taylor and Justin Herbert are more than capable to fill his shoes.
And they too have an arsenal of talent surrounding them, with Hunter Henry at tight end, Austin Ekeler coming out of the backfield, along with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams at receiver.
If Herbert or Taylor throw for even two-thirds of the passing yards Rivers threw for in 2019, the Chargers offense will click. Sure, not all of these teams listed are good. In fact, other than the Chiefs, the other three are mysteries.
But when you compare the rebuilding Carolina defense that hasn't seen any live practice until training camp started back in July, you must wonder if they can keep up.
Sure, the Panthers can upset any of the teams listed not named the Chiefs (though anything is possible on any given Sunday in the NFL). The offense can come out firing. But the Panthers will find it difficult to hang with some of the NFL's best offenses that live in the AFC West.
3. Minimal Practice, No Preseason, Big Problem
This one will hurt. The Panthers have roughly 45 days and zero preseason games to mesh a roster where the number of returning projected starters among the 22 positions totaling offense and defense is 7.
Then, they open up the season against the re-surging Las Vegas Raiders before a road trip to Tampa and a cross-country trip to Los Angeles. After that, it's home against the Arizona Cardinals.
Each team possesses explosive offenses in 2020, and the Panthers will need to rely on Teddy Bridgewater to hang with the likes of Derek Carr, Drew Brees, and Kyler Murray.
And the schedule doesn't get any easier with a trip to Atlanta before another road trip to New Orleans two weeks later and finally, a date with the Falcons again, the Chiefs, then the Bucs.
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The offense has hidden talent with Bridgewater, McCaffrey, D.J. Moore, and others. The defense is raw and many players are new to the league. The offense, while also revamped contains experienced, proven players. Guys like Teddy Bridgewater made the Pro Bowl in the past. Russell Okung is an NFL lifer, as is Michael Schofield.
Christian McCaffrey is the most complete back slash receiver in football.
The defense is cause for concern. We already discussed the teams on the schedule, but they can easily be a 2-10 or 3-9 team come their bye week in Week 13.
The offensive firepower they face is too great, and some of these teams like the Saints and Chiefs also boast fantastic defenses.
In a normal season, this is hard enough. But in a season where there's no offseason, a truncated training camp, and no preseason, it doesn't get any easier.
4. Barren Pass Rush
It seems like this entire article is about the defense's ineptitude, but talent exists on defense. It is more of the fact that they are young and lack NFL experience. But with the roster makeover came the loss of some talented defensive pieces.
In 2019, the Panthers ranked second in sacks with 53.
Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe are both in Dallas, and they are fantastic pieces to plug up the middle.
- Their top tackler in Luke Kuechly retired.
- Their second-best tackler in Eric Reid also walked.
- James Bradberry and Vernon Butler, two more perennial starters, also left.
But losing Addison and Irvin will hurt more than anything else. With the two chasing quarterbacks, they allowed their defense to rank eighth in the league in interceptions with 14. It kept the team capable of making plays and creating turnovers.
Without Addison and Irvin at the ends, in comes Brian Burns and Yetur Gross-Matos, who have a combined five NFL starts.
Burns is entering his second season and finished third on the team with 7.5 sacks, so it is up to Gross-Matos to get used to the game and take pressure off Burns.
The interior rush comprises Kawann Short and Derrick Brown. Between them, Brown is a rookie and Short appeared in just two games because of injury.
The inexperienced defensive front will give quarterbacks time to find open receivers, and it is likely they will have trouble stopping the run.
5. A Rookie Coaching Staff
Then, there is the coaching staff, where 15 new staff members are now giving the team a crash course as they implement their system and get ready for what is a strange season.
It starts with Matt Rhule, who is in his first NFL head coaching gig. Rhule built a reputation of turning around college programs, but can he turn around NFL teams?
We will wait and see. Rhule did a phenomenal job with adding a nice blend of free agents and draft picks, but the obvious downside is the lack of practice time.
Adding a new system is tough enough, especially with two-thirds of the projected starters either being new to the team or are in first time gigs.
One name that jumps out is offensive coordinator Joe Brady, who received praise throughout the league, yet it is his first time in the role of offensive coordinator. He, along with assistant quarterback coach Matt Lombardi, are entering only their third season in the NFL.
Look through the NFL history books and find coaching staff that succeeded where the head coach's last stop was the college ranks, and almost half of his assistants also had zero experience coaching at the NFL level.
Now, add a year where an event wiped out the entire off-season practices and you can count on one hand how many teams were successful in that first season.
Conclusion
The upside is that the Panthers only need to win six games for you to win the bet. The obvious downside is the relentless talent on offense they must face with a defense in rebuilding mode and an inexperienced coaching staff taking over.
The Panthers can jump out of the gate and surprise a few teams.
Especially with that offense, but to count on them when the defense may see a historically bad season due to inexperience is a lot to ask.
There is talent, but the inexperience may sink the Panthers' hope of overcoming their over/under projection. Proceed with caution if you bet the over for the Panthers, because along with a schedule where they are facing aerial assaults, even the coaching staff must adjust to the NFL game.
Do you think the Panthers have it in them to leap over their 5.5 over-under? Let us know down in the comments.
