Pro Football Focus (PFF) just launched beta testing for their new game simulator, and as is the case with any shiny new toy, Panthers fans just have to test it out. According to the tool, the Carolina Panthers are going to go 7-10 in the 2023 NFL season, which likely means they won’t make the playoffs.
Obviously, this is still in beta testing, so the results can get a little weird, and even once it’s out of beta testing, no machine can predict the future with 100% accuracy. However, even with those caveats listed, it’s still fun to look at what the PFF game simulator believes the Panthers could do in 2023.
Carolina Panthers Finish With 7-10 Record in PFF Game Simulator
Biggest Takeaways
According to the PFF Game Simulator, the first Panthers win of the Bryce Young Era comes in a 37-31 Week 4 shootout against the Minnesota Vikings. The Vikings weren’t nearly as good as their record in 2023, but it’s interesting to see that the machine believes Carolina can take down them, but can’t beat the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1. Interestingly enough, the game simulator doesn’t believe that Week 1’s contest is going to be close, as PFF has the Panthers losing their season opener 41-14.
The Panthers get hot midway through the season, with their most impressive victory coming with a 10-7 triumph over Dak Prescott and the Dallas Cowboys. At this point in time, the PFF Game Simulator believes that the Panthers will be 6-4 and actually appear poised to make a run at the playoffs.
Unfortunately, things fall apart down the stretch. Carolina goes 1-5 to finish the season, and while there are a few tough opponents on the schedule, they drop two winnable games against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Jordan Love’s Green Bay Packers.
Panthers Stats From PFF Game Simulator
Making it to the playoffs in the first year of the Bryce Young and Frank Reich Era would be nice, but this season is really all about seeing if Young can be a franchise quarterback. Well, the PFF Game Simulator also provided stats for the Panthers top performers, and Carolina had better hope these projections are accurate.
According to the machine, Young earns the starting job in Week 1 and never looks back. At the end of the year, the rookie completed 356 of his 522 attempts (68.2%) for 4,402 yards, 30 touchdowns, and 12 interceptions. Considering how hard it is to adjust to life in the NFL, you’d take that every single day of the week from a rookie quarterback. Even though the game simulator doesn’t believe the Panthers will make the playoffs, it clearly believes they have a franchise quarterback in Young.
Let’s try a sample size of it….
Here is 25 mins and 18 seconds of every touchdown Bryce Young threw at Alabama. https://t.co/ZrSeTtlQBi pic.twitter.com/QRbjNpLtHD
— TC. (@GoatLatia) May 18, 2023
While most believe that Adam Thielen will be the top option in the Panthers passing attack, the PFF Game Simulator gives that honor to D.J. Chark. The former Jaguar and Lion finished the simulation with 58 receptions for 1,029 yards and eight touchdowns, which would be a career-best season for him. Thielen, meanwhile, still had a decent season with 62 receptions for 746 yards and two touchdowns.
Main Photo: Jim Dedmon – USA Today Sports
