The Carolina Panthers are back on the road for their second game in five days, and the setting could not be much less forgiving. After last week’s trip to Tampa Bay turned into a blowout loss, the Panthers arrive with the shine dulled on what had been a surprisingly real-looking season. A team that was riding Bryce Young’s strong play and just enough defense while shorthanded suddenly got shoved into the mud by a 1-5 Buccaneers squad, and the momentum disappeared fast.
Even with that collapse fresh in the picture, the betting line has barely moved. The Panthers opened the week as slight underdogs at FanDuel, and that number has stayed put, which is a little surprising given how much the public usually reacts to a bad showing like that.
There is at least a path for Carolina to make this more competitive. The Packers will be missing three starters: center Sean Rhyan, right guard Travis Glover and Mike linebacker Zaire Franklin.
On paper, that should give Derrick Brown a chance to make life miserable up front and make Bryce Young’s quick-read game easier to lean on, especially with Tetairoa McMillan and the tight ends working over the middle. But theories only go so far in this matchup.
The picks split hard from there.
One prediction has the Panthers getting handled, 33-13, with the note that after what happened against Tampa Bay, Carolina has to win back trust and still has “zero faith” in its depth at cornerback or guard.
Another sees a much tighter game, with the Panthers losing 20-13 in a penalty-heavy Thursday night slog, with home field doing just enough for Green Bay.
The other two lean Carolina’s way. One has the Panthers winning 21-14 because the Packers “can’t run the ball.”
Another goes even bigger, taking Carolina 31-21 and pointing to the one thing that has defined this team all year: inconsistency. That prediction also cites the defense bouncing back after getting “their doors blown off by the Bears” and expects the Panthers to respond on a short week.
In Other News...
Panthers Suddenly Have A Trade Deadline Problem In The Secondary
The Panthers have spent the weeks leading up to the trade deadline looking for help at cornerback after injuries hit Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, and the market has already started to come into focus. ESPN has tied Carolina to a pair of possible targets in Riq Woolen and Donte Jackson, giving the team at least a couple of paths to patch up a position group that has suddenly become a concern.
Woolen would bring the bigger upside if Carolina wanted to swing for impact, even if there are obvious questions attached to his play. Jackson, meanwhile, would offer a more familiar kind of solution and could help stabilize the spot sooner rather than later. Either way, the Panthers appear to have a real deadline decision to make if they want to keep the secondary from becoming an even bigger issue. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Secondary Just Took Another Hit Before Jordan Love Test
The Panthers secondary took another blow this week when Akayleb Evans was placed on injured reserve with knee and triceps injuries, knocking him out for Sundays matchup with the Packers. Evans had stepped into a starting role over the last three games, giving Carolina some needed stability in a back end that has already been stretched thin by injuries to Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson.
Now the Panthers are heading into Week 8 with even less margin for error against Green Bay and quarterback Jordan Love, who has been productive through the air this season. For a defense already trying to patch together its coverage plan, losing another corner only adds to the pressure to find answers quickly. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Secondary Suddenly Faces A Brutal Test In Green Bay
With the Panthers heading into Thursday nights game in Green Bay, the secondary has been thinned to the point where roster depth is now part of the weekly game plan. Carolina is elevating veteran cornerback Marco Wilson from the practice squad as the injuries continue to pile up, leaving the team with just two healthy cornerbacks on the active roster.
Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson are on injured reserve, while Akayleb Evans is sidelined with injuries, and the challenge does not stop there. The Panthers will also be without pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and left guard Damien Lewis, adding more pressure to a short-handed group that is about to be tested under the lights against the Packers. [Read more 🡒]