How will the Carolina Panthers fare over their next five games with the team currently sitting at 2-6 following their loss at the Atlanta Falcons?
Sunday’s game at the Atlanta Falcons represented a crossroads moment for the Carolina Panthers. Winning would have taken them to first place in the NFC South – which almost looked guaranteed late on before a crucial penalty on D.J. Moore and two critical misses from kicker Eddy Piniero condemned them to the harshest defeat imaginable.
There is certainly a lot more pride back within the Panthers under Steve Wilks. But that doesn’t change the fact they are among the bottom-feeders and look set to get a high-end draft selection in 2023 to potentially get their franchise quarterback of the future.
It’s a fine line with fans, who want to celebrate wins but are also mindful of the need to format a long-term plan to get Carolina back to being competitive under a new head coach in 2023.
Just where they go from here remains to be seen. With that n mind, we took a look at how the Panthers might fare over their next five games before and after their long-awaited bye week.
Week 9
Carolina Panthers at Bengals
Things don’t get any easier for the Carolina Panthers next weekend when they visit the Cincinnati Bengals. The defending AFC champions look good again after a rocky opening to the campaign, so this is a significant challenge awaiting Steve Wilks and his roster.
The Bengals will be on a short week having played on Monday Night Football. They’ll also be without stud wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase through injury, which is welcome news for a secondary that struggled at times in Week 8.
Prediction: Loss (2-7)
Despite this, Cincinnati is on home soil and has more than enough talent across the board to give Carolina endless problems. A task that might prove too steep when it’s all said and done.