5 bold Carolina Panthers predictions after the team's 2024 bye week
By Dean Jones
D.J. Wonnum finishes with 10 sacks
It took a long time for D.J. Wonnum to make his presence felt. The edge rusher suffered complications in his recovery from a torn quad that also included blood clots. Thankfully, he responded positively to treatment and was finally able to take his place in the lineup before the bye week.
Wonnum was eager to make up for lost time. The pass-rusher was a constant menace against the New York Giants, gaining two sacks and bolstering this under-performing edge unit considerably. This is the standard he's set for himself moving forward.
The Carolina Panthers will be expecting more of the same from Wonnum after the bye. He'll be fresher than most players at this stage of the campaign and wants to remind the NFL why he was worthy of such a financial commitment. And in all honesty, the bar isn't exactly high to be the most prolific pass-rusher on this team in any case.
Gaining 10 sacks is an ambitious target for Wonnum all things considered. However, it's not impossible if his first outing in a Carolina uniform is any indication of what's to come.
Carolina Panthers win 4 more games
The Panthers are bracing themselves for a daunting series of contests after the bye week. They have additional momentum following a two-game winning run, so head coach Dave Canales needs to put this newfound momentum to good use when the opposition gets tougher.
That's easier said than done, but things are looking up at long last.
The Panthers are getting healthy. They have made considerable defensive improvements despite missing Derrick Brown and Shaq Thompson. Their young offensive pieces are coming of age much sooner than expected. Bryce Young is showing promise under center.
Carolina has the recipe for a successful end to the campaign. They aren't playing for much other than pride. This could allow the squad to compete with extra freedom given they have almost no chance of making the postseason.
Winning four more games and finishing their 2024 regular-season engagements with a 7-10 record would be a major positive. It looks unattainable given the standard of teams they'll be up against, but the light might be finally coming on for this group after a torrid run of results to begin Canales' head coaching tenure.