Predicting the Carolina Panthers' next four games after 1-5 start in 2024
By Dean Jones
Carolina Panthers vs. Saints - Week 9
- Date: Sunday, November 3
- Time: 1.00 p.m. ET
- Venue: Bank of America Stadium
This is the last game before Dan Morgan has to take stock of how things look and what he can potentially do to improve the team's long-term outlook.
The 2024 trade deadline is on November 5 this year. It doesn't seem like the Carolina Panthers will be too active in terms of incomings in their current state. It'll be more a case of potentially cashing in on assets that aren't part of the franchise's future.
Before then, the Panthers welcome an old foe to Bank of America Stadium. The New Orleans Saints easily disposed of Carolina in Dave Canales' first regular-season contest in charge. Things haven't gone nearly as well after that, with Dennis Allen's men at 2-4 and coming off a loss where they shipped 51 points at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Panthers aren't exactly in a position to be taking any team for granted. They've lost 20 of their last 23 games dating back to last season. Canales' men are rooted among the bottom-feeders once again, so nothing but improved execution and displaying some fight in the face of adversity will do to turn this ship around.
Derek Carr's status for the contest remains in doubt. There are a couple of weeks before things get confirmed one way or another, but the Panthers' chances of winning increase exponentially if the veteran signal-caller cannot participate due to an oblique issue.
Stopping running back Alvin Kamara is a different matter. The player ran riot over the Panthers in their first outing, accumulating 110 all-purpose yards and a touchdown in Week 1. Ejiro Evero must have a better plan to limit his influence, which will be difficult without Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown and veteran linebacker Shaq Thompson.
- Prediction: Panthers win (2-7)
Perhaps this is blind optimism and nothing more. The Panthers have a shot. Stopping Kamara is key, but it doesn't seem like the Saints are going to accomplish much this season either after losing their last four.