Extremely early Carolina Panthers game-by-game 2022 record prediction

Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Things looked promising for the Carolina Panthers and others within the NFC South at one stage during the offseason when Tom Brady announced his retirement after a phenomenal career. This was expected to come with a period of transition for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who also had a wealth of veteran free agents to further complicate matters.

As it turned out, Brady decided that sitting at home just wasn’t for him. The signal-caller unretired after just 40 days, something that completely changes the Panthers’ landscape and perhaps the NFC’s overall.

If the Panthers were hoping for the Bucs to regress considerably, they are now out of luck. There is also the intriguing element of Todd Bowles as head coach after Bruce Arians stepped away into a front-office role.

Brady coming back also convinced some established figures within the locker room to sign new deals. This only complicates matters for Carolina against a team they’ve had a hard time beating ever since the future Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback joined the ranks.

Week 7 Prediction: Loss (3-4)

Realistically speaking, the Panthers are not on the Bucs’ level right now. Even if there is a slight chance Brady falls off a cliff at 44 years old.