Carolina Panthers: Preview, record prediction for 2018 season
The Carolina Panthers are looking for their first back-to-back seasons with records better than .500. They can make it happen in 2018.
The Carolina Panthers are a few hours away from kicking off their 2018 season. Cam Newton and Ron Rivera are joined by new offensive coordinator Norv Turner along with a host of new talent. Carolina is looking to continue its postseason run. With 16 games ahead of them, this is a prediction on how well the Panthers will fare in the coming weeks.
When attempting to predict Carolina’s 2018 performance the conversation has to begin with the NFC South. In recent years the NFC South has been a division in which a new team seems to bubble up to the top while the rest of the pack remains close contenders for playoff spots.
However, the Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints and Panthers are the main players in the division. Depending on who is asked multiple outlets are looking at each one of these groups as a potential winner when the end of the season is upon us.
Tampa Bay shouldn’t be much of an issue for the Panthers this year, which should allow them to earn two wins against the Bucs. New Orleans is a different situation, but since the Panthers tend to play them well in Charlotte; there’s an opportunity for this series to be split 1-1.
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But the Falcons are still one of the most dynamic offenses in the league and much of their power comes through the air; an area where Carolina may struggle this year. It’s difficult to see Carolina defeating Atlanta at all which would push their NFC South record to 3-3.
Outside the NFC South, the Carolina Panthers should find a lot of success as they are playing other divisions that do not feature a lot of powerful teams.
First there’s the NFC East. Home of the defending Philadelphia Eagles, many are expecting them to continue improving after last year’s championship season. Carolina travels to Philadelphia on Oct. 21 and, while this should be an interesting game, the Eagles should come out on top.
The Dallas Cowboys, New York Giants and Washington Redskins are in a different situation as those teams are struggling to rebuild themselves into competitive units. Carolina opens their season against the Cowboys and then plays the Giants and Redskins back-to-back in Weeks 5-6. These are three games that Carolina should win as each team has not found the right pieces to turn around recent underwhelming performances.
Detroit and Seattle are the final two NFC teams that Carolina is scheduled to play. Under Russell Wilson’s leadership the Seahawks have been able to control their budding rivalry with the Panthers. Expect this game to continue that trend and give the former Super Bowl champions another win. Detroit, on the other hand, remains a laughing stock in the NFL. 2018 may be the year they get a victory, but do not bet on that coming against the Panthers.
That leaves the AFC North that features the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Cincinnati Bengals, and Baltimore Ravens. The Bengals and Browns are not good teams, so do not plan on seeing them defeat Carolina. But the Ravens and Steelers can be more of a threat.
Pittsburgh defeated Carolina in their final preseason game and remains a post season threat each year. The Ravens are more of a question mark, but this is a unit that the Panthers should be able to defeat, even if that game is on the road.
Final Record: 10-6
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Overall, the Carolina Panthers are a team that comes into each season as a big conundrum. In 23 seasons, the Panthers have yet to end back-to-back years with records better than .500. But that could and should change in 2018. Either way, this group is hard to predict as everyone fears the return of the “Cardiac Cats.”