Carolina Panthers: Sell
This one was tough for me because, frankly, the Carolina Panthers have been one of the most pleasant surprises in the NFL to this point. Not only has Sam Darnold looked comfortable and good under offensive coordinator Joe Brady but the defense has been playing lights out.
Building off a strong year one under head coach Matt Rhule, the Panthers defense is currently the No. 1-ranked unit in the league according to Football Outsiders’ DVOA through two weeks. On every level of the defense, they’ve been making plays.
When it comes down to it, though, it’s still hard to trust Darnold for 17 games this season. On top of that, let’s not forget that they’ve beat an abysmal-looking Jets team and a Saints club that was without eight coaches in Week 2. This is a team that’s better than expected but probably not as good as an undefeated start might lead you to believe.
Denver Broncos: Buy
I’m ready to go out on a limb for the Denver Broncos. My one worry about the team coming into the season was that Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback wouldn’t be a substantial enough upgrade from Drew Lock to get them over the hump in a loaded AFC West. But that’s not been the case.
Bridgewater hasn’t been a superstar but he’s been quite good thus far. He’s delivering the ball on time and taking care of the rock with a talented group of weapons — even with Jerry Jeudy injured early on — and a strong offensive line. And there was never any doubt about the defense at this point, which has also been good.
Now, am I still a bit worried that Bridgewater might not have a Super Bowl ceiling as a quarterback? Yes. Having said that, he has proven me wrong to this point and the rest of this roster is good enough for the Broncos to get to that level.