Armed with yet another new quarterback, the 2022 Carolina Panthers will kick off their season in less than a week with the goal of improving on their underwhelming 5-12 season. Baker Mayfield is undoubtedly an upgrade on Sam Darnold, but is he good enough to bring Carolina back to the playoffs for the first time since 2017?
Related: Chiefs Record Prediction
Carolina Panthers Record: Predicting Every Game on the Schedule
Week 1: Vs Browns
Revenge game! Mayfield makes his Panthers debut against the team that traded him away for essentially nothing. However, instead of facing off against Deshaun Watson, the Browns will send out journeyman quarterback Jacoby Brissett. Cleveland has the better roster, but Mayfield’s clear superiority over Brissett should be enough for the Panthers to walk away with a win.
Panthers Win, 1-0 Record
Week 2: at Giants
Brian Daboll will be a better head coach than Joe Judge, but a new coach cannot fix a roster this flawed overnight. Daniel Jones has yet to prove he’s a true franchise quarterback, and the offensive line and wide receiver leave a lot to be desired. Even with an above-average defense, the Panthers should be able to come out on top in this one.
Panthers Win, 2-0 Record
Week 3: Vs Saints
The 2021 New Orleans Saints were 5-2 with Jameis Winston under center. Now back to full health, the quarterback should be able to lead one of the most complete rosters in football to a playoff push. Michael Thomas is healthy, and he and Chris Olave have the potential to be one of the better wide receiver duos in football. Add in a defense with playmakers at all three levels of the field, and you have a team that will be very hard to beat as long as they’re healthy.
Panthers Lose, 2-1 Record
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Week 4: Vs Cardinals
The Panthers pull off their first real upset of the year in Week 4 against the Arizona Cardinals. Kyler Murray finished the 2021 season on an incredibly low note, and those struggles will carry over to 2022. With DeAndre Hopkins suspended and Christian Kirk in Jacksonville, the Cardinals will struggle to move the ball through the air while years of subpar drafting finally catch up to Arizona’s defense. This is probably the hottest take in this article, but the Panthers should be able to come out of Week 4 with a win.
Panthers Win, 3-1 Record
Week 5: Vs 49ers
The jury is still very much out on whether or not Trey Lance can be a franchise quarterback. However, even with the question mark at the game’s most important position, the clear difference in roster talent will be too much for the Panthers. San Francisco has borderline elite playmakers at just about every position, and the same cannot be said for Carolina. Even if Lance falls flat on his face, the Panthers probably won’t be able to capitalize.
Panthers Lose, 3-2 Record
Week 6: At Rams
The Panthers face yet another tough matchup against the reigning Super Bowl champions. Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, and Aaron Donald are all back for another go at it, and Allen Robinson has effectively replaced Odell Beckham/Robert Woods as the second option in the passing attack. Even if Robinson isn’t the player he once was, this is still an elite passing attack operated by one of the smartest coaches in the league.
Panthers Lose, 3-3 Record
Week 7: Vs Buccaneers
The Carolina Panthers have yet to beat Tom Brady in a Buccaneers uniform, and it’s hard to see that changing any time soon. The 45-year-old is still dominating the league, leading the NFL in just about every statistic possible last year. Even without Rob Gronkowski, Brady still has Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, Russell Gage, and Julio Jones to go with one of the more talented defenses in the league. This team is going to compete for yet another Super Bowl, and Carolina simply doesn’t have the horsepower to keep up in this type of game.
Panthers Lose, 3-4 Record
Week 8: At Falcons
Carolina’s three-game skid comes to a screeching halt against the Atlanta Falcons. After trading away Matt Ryan, the team is currently sending out Marcus Mariota to lead one of the least talented rosters in football. Even if Mariota can stay healthy and find his 2016-2017 form, it still probably won’t be enough to earn the win.
Panthers Win, 4-4 Record
Week 9: At Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals made it all the way to the Super Bowl last year, and they’ve gotten even better. After upgrading the offensive line and defense in free agency, this team has all the talent to push for a return visit to the game’s biggest stage. Ja’Marr Chase destroyed the league as a rookie and will only be better with another year of experience under his belt.
Panthers Lose, 4-5 Record
All of Baker Mayfield's 22 straight completions to beat the Cincinnati Bengals (no, we're not counting the spike). pic.twitter.com/KATxvl8SNI
— Cleveland Vs Everyone (@clevsevery1) October 29, 2020
Week 10: Vs Falcons
Falcons week means another projected win, especially since the Panthers will have home-field advantage for this matchup.
Panthers Win, 5-5 Record
Week 11: At Ravens
The Ravens went 8-9 last year, but that was largely due to an absurd amount of injuries that would have crippled any roster. Now healthy, this team should return to being one of the AFC’s top contenders behind Lamar Jackson and head coach John Harbaugh.
Panthers Lose, 5-6 Record
Week 12: Vs Broncos
The Denver Broncos finally have a quarterback capable of taking their talented roster to the next level. After years of being held back by the likes of Drew Lock and Teddy Bridgewater, Russell Wilson has the talent to take Denver to the promised land. The Panthers have the worse quarterback and the worse roster, so this will be a very tough one to win.
Panthers Lose, 5-7 Record
Week 14: At Seahawks
The team that traded Russell Wilson away, however, should be a much easier challenge. The Seahawks have had a terrible roster for quite some time and have been relying on Wilson to cover the various flaws throughout the depth chart. Now, that duty falls to Geno Smith, and it’s safe to say that he’s not up for the task.
Panthers Win, 6-7 Record
Week 15: Vs Steelers
The Steelers have a great defense and some impressive wide receivers, but none of that matters if the quarterback isn’t good and doesn’t have the time to throw. Mitchell Trubisky is proven to be a terrible NFL quarterback, and I did not like Kenny Pickett during the scouting process. Perhaps Pickett surprises, but it will be hard for this offense to move the ball with bottom-five quarterback play and a sieve of an offensive line.
Panthers Win, 7-7 Record
Week 16: Vs Lions
The Detroit Lions are in the midst of their rebuild, and they could become a truly competitive team in a year or two. However, they’re not quite ready to make serious noise yet. The offensive line is great, but Jared Goff is still the quarterback and the defense lacks playmakers at all three levels. The Lions could be a surprise team this year, but it’s more likely that they’ll start being a real threat in 2023.
Panthers Win, 8-7 Record
Week 17: At Buccaneers
This projection has the Panthers entering the final two weeks with a winning record and possibly a chance to earn the final wild card spot. Unfortunately for them, their final two games are against their best competition in the division, starting with the Buccaneers. Assuming they still have something to play for, Tom Brady’s unit will likely dominate the Panthers by a comfortable margin.
Panthers Lose, 8-8 Record
Week 18: At Saints
Nobody likes traveling to the Superdome, especially when playoff seeding could very well be on the line. The Panthers will give it their all, but ultimately the Saints have too much talent for this team to handle.
Panthers Lose, 8-9 Record
