Carolina Panthers 2022 Win Total Prediction, Computer Picks and Super Bowl Odds

The 2022 NFL season is firmly on the horizon and over the coming weeks the Dimers crew will break down the chances of each and every team, all vying for Super Bowl 57 glory in Glendale, Arizona come February.

Let's take a look at the key factors to consider when betting on the Carolina Panthers in 2022.

The Panthers will look to bounce back from a 5-12 campaign in 2021 and return to playoff form. To do that they'll have to clear the 6.5 Over/Under win total hurdle.

Carolina Panthers Win Total Prediction, Computer Picks and Super Bowl Odds

Carolina Panthers

• 2021 Record: 5-12, 4th in NFC South, missed playoffs
• 2021 ATS:  5-12
• Key off-season additions Baker Mayfield QB, Johnny Hekker P, Cory Littleton LB
• Key off-season losses: Haason Reddick LB, Stephon Gilmore CB

Carolina Panthers Win Total - 6.5 

It’s easy to be pessimistic about the Panthers. Matt Rhule is just 10-23 in two seasons and might have the hottest seat in the league, the team is in no man’s land at quarterback, and there’s a significant lack of elite talent on this particular NFL roster.

Carolina was in the wild-card hunt at 5-5 in November before the bottom fell out, injuries hit, and the Panthers ended the season on a seven-game losing streak to finish in last place in the NFC South.

Even with a disastrous December and January burdened with an offense that couldn’t move the ball, a tired defense, and terrible special teams, Carolina ended the season ranked No. 2 in yards allowed. 

The defense will probably regress a bit after losing Haason Reddick to the Eagles and Stephon Gilmore to the Colts, but the offense stands to improve if Christian McCaffrey is healthy.

The Panthers’ offensive line was a five-alarm fire in 2021, and GM Scott Fitterer made a few significant moves to improve it, including signing G Austin Corbett from the Los Angeles Rams and drafting OT Ikem Ekwonu early in the first round of the draft. 

Another thing working in favor of a 6-11 campaign or better is that Carolina doesn’t look like the worst team in a bad division after the Atlanta Falcons' offseason from hell.

Even with the AFC North and NFC West on the schedule, there are just six games against 2021 playoff teams to navigate, so it wouldn't be shocking if the Panthers go Over that mark of 6.5. Baker Mayfield happens to be a huge upgrade over what Carolina had at quarterback last season, which should significantly change the way this offense looks. A breakout year for D.J. Moore could be incoming. 

DimersBOT: In our model's 10,000 simulations of the upcoming NFL season, the Panthers averaged 6.25 wins per year. Even with improved quarterback play and a manageable schedule, we wouldn't suggest going with the Over. 

Carolina Panthers X-Factor - Christian McCaffrey, RB

There’s not a great deal of precedent for a top running back regaining his form after missing the majority of two full seasons.

McCaffery is, however, still only 26 years old and, in his last full campaign, merely became the third man to gain 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in a single season.

Christian McCaffrey has the 4th-most yards from scrimmage in the NFL since 2017.

Reminder: he has only played 10 games in the last 2 seasons. pic.twitter.com/QCMn5mAxsD

— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) May 28, 2022

Even last season, when he didn’t get to 100 carries or 40 receptions and was saddled with a bad offensive line, McCaffrey still had nearly 800 yards from scrimmage in seven games.

If the line is better and McCaffrey is able to stay on the field, Carolina won’t be one of the league’s worst teams.

This season will go a long way to determining if McCaffrey's $64 million is money down the drain and if a player with future Hall-of-Fame talent will have his career irrevocably derailed by injuries.

Carolina Panthers Super Bowl 57 Chances

What’s the ceiling for the Panthers in 2022? I think it’s something along the lines of what the Eagles did last season: 9-8 with an offense that’s more efficient than expected and limits mistakes — which is something that Mayfield can certainly bring to Carolina.

Even in that best-case scenario, Carolina would be looking at a wild card and probably a No. 7 seed. This roster simply doesn’t have the talent to go on the road and beat the top two seeds in a conference in January.

DimersBOT: The Panthers could potentially shock some people and contend for a wild-card spot, but that's probably all they can do. We wouldn't touch this bet. 

Carolina Panthers 2022 Schedule 

• September 11, 2022 - Cleveland Browns
• September 18, 2022 - at New York Giants
• September 25, 2022 - New Orleans Saints
• October 2, 2022 - Arizona Cardinals
• October 9, 2022 - San Francisco 49ers
• October 16, 2022 - at Los Angeles Rams
• October 23, 2022 - Tampa Bay Buccaneers 
• October 30, 2022 - at Atlanta Falcons
• November 6, 2022 - at Cincinnati Bengals
• November 10, 2022 - Atlanta Falcons
• November 20, 2022 - at Baltimore Ravens
• November 27, 2022 -  Denver Broncos
• December 11, 2022 - at Seattle Seahawks
• December 18, 2022 - Pittsburgh Steelers
• December 24, 2022 - Detroit Lions
• January 1, 2023 - at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
• January 8, 2023 - at New Orleans Saints