4 bold Carolina Panthers predictions at the Saints in Week 1
By Luke Gray
Carolina Panthers come away with a dominant opening day win
It should not be understated how important this is for the Carolina Panthers to open the season. The Atlanta Falcons are the clear front-runners to win the division, but the other three teams seem much closer together.
For the Panthers and new head coach Dave Canales, a road win against an NFC South rival would be the perfect way to start the season. It'll be difficult - especially in an environment not exactly known for making things easy on the visiting team - but it's not impossible by any stretch of the imagination.
Many national outlets are not high on the Panthers' chances of attaining much success in 2024. After how they have performed in recent years, it’s hard to argue against that. But for the first time in recent memory, this once-proud organization has a clear plan moving forward.
Canales and general manager Dan Morgan are working together to achieve their collective aims with a collaborative approach that was sorely lacking previously. That doesn't guarantee progress, but it's not a bad platform from which to build after languishing as the NFL's bottom feeder for so long.
This is a very winnable game for the Panthers. The team can set their stall out early and dominate a vulnerable New Orleans Saints team who are under pressure to wrestle back the NFC South from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Dennis Allen is on the hot seat, so nothing but a rousing effort will do with the spotlight glaring.
Expect the defense under coordinator Ejiro Evero to smother this Saints offense, which certainly has its weaknesses. It all comes down to whether or not this new Canales offensive scheme can hit the ground running with quarterback Bryce Young leading the charge.
If everything clicks right away and Canales throws some things at the Saints that they aren't ready for, the Panthers can emerge with a morale-boosting victory on the road.
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