If not for a ridiculously great Denver Broncos defense, we would be talking about the Carolina Panthers as defending Super Bowl champions. Alas, they fell short. But that doesn’t diminish their other accomplishments. Besides actually making it to the Super Bowl, they rattled off 15 victories, dominating the NFC and the NFL at large as one of the most reliable sportsbook plays in recent memory. Is more of the same in store for them moving forward? Honest answer: Maybe. Yes, the Panthers won 15 games.
There is no discrediting that. But they also overachieved in some respects. The offense wasn’t supposed to be that good, yet it was—mostly because quarterback Cam Newton bore an incredibly heavy cross for the entire year.
Anything short of a similar performance from last season’s MVP, and the Panthers will see their win total drastically drop.
There is no guarantee their sixth ranked defense replicates its success either. The Panthers lost free agent cornerback Josh Norman to Washington and didn’t sign another household named player to replace. That could compromise their defense in the secondary, thus limiting their potential even further.
Still, the Panthers remain everything plays, even with their concerns.
Fifteen wins and a Super Bowl appearance, if nothing else, earns you the benefit of the doubt. They are clear NFC South favorites and, on paper, are only truly rivaled throughout the rest of the NFC by the Arizona Cardinals and Seattle Seahawks. That’s a great place for them to be, and enough incentive for you to check out all of their futures.
Best Carolina Panthers Betting Lines
All of the best Carolina Panthers betting lines are just below, making it easy for you to find the most ideal place for you to lay down your wager of choice.
Since NFL game lines tend to change after initially going live, you’ll want to return to this page a few times, right up until you place your bet, so that you can ensure you have the most up to date intel.
Even if you’ve already submitted a wager, it’s good practice to keep checking back.
Say you threw down a bet on the Panthers to cover a seven point spread on Tuesday, but then you find out Cam Newton won’t be playing due to some type of hand injury on Friday. Though you cannot change your bet, you can at least take your action to another team in an effort to try and recoup your probable losses.
Put simply, this page is important. Bookmark it, and return to it frequently.
Carolina Panthers Regular Season Schedule
Here is the Carolina Panthers’ entire regular season schedule. Anyone who likes to put extra preparation into their bets can use it as a researching hub.
Past games and scores will let you see how the Panthers fare in certain situations and against certain teams. This includes, but is not limited to, the following: Do they cover the spread more at home than they do when they’re away? What’s their record against winning teams? How about losing squads? Have they been covering the over more than the under?
The answers to these questions can then be applied to future matchups even before you have the official game lines. Just identify the kind of team the Panthers are playing and where they are playing them, then see Carolina’s record in those circumstances.
What Are The Carolina Panthers Standings
This is where you can see the Carolina Panthers’ place in the standings. Anyone experimenting with midseason futures will find this markedly useful.
Look at how the Panthers’ record compares to teams who are known contenders in a certain department. If their win totals hold up better than the New Olreans Saints’ or the Atlanta Falcons’, you know they are divisional plays. If their record adequately compares to the Seattle Seahawks and Arizona Cardinals, you’ll understand to use them as NFC championship wagers.
And if the Panthers’ overall record ranks among the best in the league, right up there with the New England Patriots, Cincinnati Bengals, Seahawks, Cardinals, etc., you’ll then know that you have a Super Bowl contender on your hands.
How To Win Carolina Panthers Bets
The loss of Josh Norman aides in making the Carolina Panthers great over plays.
Typically with a team like this that isn't the case. The Panthers ranked first in points scored per game and sixth in points allowed per game. That balance usually cancels both sides of the ball out, forcing you to look at other single game plays.
But while the Panthers won't be awful without Norman in the secondary, they will give up more touchdowns. So, in theory, they'll be allowing at least a few more points per game. That makes a big difference when you're dealing with the league's best offense.
Sure, the Panthers' air and ground attack overachieved in many respects. At the same time, they sustained such a performance pretty much all year. Plus, wide receiver Tedd Ginn Jr. really started to put it together toward the end of the season. The combination of him and Corey Brown and Kelvin Benjamin should keep the Panthers' passing scheme humming. Same can be said for the ageles tight end Greg Olsen.
Beyond them, Carolina has Jonathan Stewart and Fozzy Whitaker headling a well above average running game. And then you have to factor in Cam Newton's own mobility, in addition to his cannon of an arm. He has taken a lot of hits throughout the years, but he's notoriously tough and only just turned 27 years old. He shouldn't be falling off anytime soon.
All of which contributes to making the Panthers great over plays. They should score so many points on a given week that it almost may not matter how good their defense is—or how good it isn't. So begin the year testing their over market.
Though the Carolina Panthers are established everything plays, you should be able to capitalize on more lucrative odds than there would normally be for a reigning NFC champion.
See, there are still so many who believe the Panthers overachieved in a fashion that cannot be repeated. Does their defense still look good on paper? Yes. Does their offense continue to give the appearance of one of the most potent in the NFL? Absolutely. But the Panthers still don't look like they have the staying power of a New England Patriots dynasty, or even a Seattle Seahawks squad that always wedges its way into the futures business.
Perhaps it's because Cam Newton's MVP season was ostensibly a once in a generation performance. The Panthers were so overwhelmingly reliant on him for most of the season, it's almost unbelievable.
The idea that he could once again pass for more than 3,800 yards and rush for another 600 more is farfetched. Something has to give at some point.
But the Panthers proved their mettle as a comlete team. They deserve not only your NFC South attention, but your conference and Super Bowl consideration.
Sportsbooks, though, won't necessarily share those same sentiments before the season. The Panthers' potential returns on these bets should be far more attractive than their perceived peers.
Make sure you're placing your bets on their futures early, before the 2016 schedule, so you can capitalize on appealing odds typically reserved for borderline long shots.
