The Panthers are headed to Cleveland this weekend with the betting and the experts leaning their way, but not by enough to make this feel like a layup. Carolina is 1-1, Cleveland is 1-1, and the Panthers are once again in that tricky spot of being road favorites in a game that still feels very much up for grabs.
That setup looks a lot like last week, when nearly everybody liked Carolina against Atlanta and the Panthers backed it up with a dominant win. This time, the pick split is still heavily tilted toward Carolina, but there are a few voices pushing the other direction.
Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio took the Panthers 28-20 and framed the game around Deshaun Watson’s reception. "For Deshaun Watson, it will be easier to win the game than it will be to win the crowd. And it won’t be easy to win the game," he wrote.
SB Nation’s Wallace Delery also backed Carolina, calling for a 26-21 Panthers win and pointing to the offense’s early-season form. "Carolina's offense has been looking as good as it has in a very long time to start this season, and they will continue that against a Cleveland team fresh off victory in Tampa last week. Carolina wins 26-21."
USA Today’s Adam Kaufman had it closer, but still went with the Panthers, 20-17. Michael Middlekauff-Hurst picked Carolina by 24-19, and Nate Davis had the Panthers by seven on the road.
Not everyone bought into the Carolina side. Richard Morin forecast a 34-20 Panthers win, saying, "The Panthers are legit and legitimately overlooked this season. Deshaun Watson is still a turnover machine and isn't doing his defense - which looked much better last week - any favors right now," he argued.
CBS Sports’ Pete Prisco went the other way and called for a Browns upset. "Bryce Young is rolling for the Panthers, but I think the Browns defense will play well again here as they did in Tampa last week. The Browns take it in an upset," he wrote.
ESPN’s panel was unanimous on Carolina, with all nine analysts who made a pick siding with the Panthers. Bleacher Report was mostly the same, though Ian Hanford stood alone in taking Cleveland.
"The Browns will look to turn this one into an uglier, lower-scoring affair, and I think they make it happen. Cleveland pulls the upset, and we finally get a Jared Verse sighting."
The Athletic’s Vic Tafur also went against the grain. "The Panthers’ defense allowed eight plays of 20-plus yards in Week 1, and Browns rookie receiver Denzel Boston and running back Quinshon Judkins should be able to break free.
Browns fans cheering for Watson and the 2-1 Browns. Yeah, it’s been a crazy season."
So the read here is pretty clear: Carolina is favored again, most of the national experts expect the Panthers to handle business, and a few holdouts are betting on Cleveland to turn this into a tougher, uglier game. Just like last week, the Panthers have the edge on paper - and just like last week, they can’t afford to treat that edge like it means the work is already done.
In Other News...
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A 1-1 start has given Carolina enough early-life optimism to imagine bigger moves than just waiting for internal growth to solve the problem. The offense has shown promise, but the defensive interior has been a concern, and that gap is now big enough to push the Panthers into the kind of all-in thinking that usually comes later in a season.
One name that naturally surfaces in that conversation is Jeffery Simmons, a player who could change the look of the front in a hurry. The catch is obvious: a move like that would not come cheap, and it would likely mean parting with major assets, including Robert Hunt and multiple draft picks, which is exactly why the Panthers have a decision to make rather than a simple upgrade to chase. [Read more 🡒]
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The Browns still bring a tough secondary, with Denzel Ward anchoring the back end, even if their pass rush loses some of its sting without Myles Garrett. Carolina may also look for more balance on the ground, especially with Chuba Hubbard making the most of limited work so far. Cleveland's run defense has been vulnerable, and if the Panthers can build around that edge, this week could offer a clearer snapshot of how far Young and the offense have come. [Read more 🡒]
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Cleveland is the next test, and it comes with the usual mix of caution and curiosity that follows any promising start in Carolina. The defense still has questions, the running back usage remains unsettled, and there are injury concerns hanging over the build-up to the game. For now, the Panthers have earned the right to be taken seriously, but they have not yet done enough to make anyone fully certain this turnaround is built to last. [Read more 🡒]