Final Carolina Panthers game by game predictions for 2021 season

Carolina Panthers vs. Washington Football Team

Washington is coming off of a playoff berth with Taylor Heinicke and a recovering Alex Smith starting at quarterback. This is a team that gave the Tampa Bay Buccaneers all they could handle in the playoffs.

They are extremely well-coached and led by an elite defensive group that is going to put even the best offensive lines under strain.

Washington is a team that is incredibly hard to predict, they are going to win games based on defensive talent alone. However, how good will Ryan Fitzpatrick be?

The journeyman quarterback has bounced around the league with differing levels of success. If he can play consistently this season Washington is a playoff team. That is how good this team is from a defensive standpoint.

Even marginal quarterback play will have them winning their division.

Head coach Ron Rivera is very familiar with these Carolina Panthers and isn’t going to let his new team lose to his former employers.

Carolina is going to find life difficult when it comes to coping with the defensive pressure Washington will bring and is projected to lose what will be a very low-scoring defensive struggle.

Prediction: Washington 16 Carolina Panthers 9 (6-5)