Analyzing the rest of the Panthers schedule

[jfra78]

I think going out west is a bigger deal when playing the previous Sunday.  Coming off a bye, the travel isn't as big a deal and we get an extra week to prepare.  I feel it is a toss up game.  

[X-Clown]

1 hour ago, Nesbro1 said:

You talkin in 96 when we won in Candlestick? That 96yd pick 6 was awesome.

Won the West!

My guess is he's referring to 2013

[JARROD]

I don’t see the Panthers mortgaging a bunch of draft picks for a guy that is great but extensive injury history like AJ

Emmanuel Sanders with a 4th or something is entirely in the realm of possibility. Having a guy that stretches the field, runs great routes, tracks downfield and catches the ball like Colonel Sanders would really help our offense— jeez can you imagine the nightmare of Moore, Samuel, and Sanders on the field? 
 

im going to say the assessment is on— Green Bay in Lambeau is a nightmare. The Saints in Charlotte is a toss up, Saints in the Dome are always a problem. Atlanta has a habit of derailing us like 2015– I would rather them keep their coach than fire him— people repeat history and all(2015) 

Seahawks is a tossup— they’ve shown they are beatable— 49ers is tough, but I’ll put them down as a loss so I’m not surprised.

lets say those games are all losses with the Saints and Atlanta splits—

thats 5 more losses,.. we finish 9-7 or better.

9-7 sucks— no playoffs but winning season, suck draft picks— 

we can beat the Seahawks and Atlanta twice— that’s now 11-5 which is totally doable. 

[TheRed]

The second half of our schedule could get rough. We still have to play the Saints and Falcons twice, as bad as Atlanta has been they still swept us last year. On top of that we have the Packers, Seahawks, and Colts who have played well considering Luck's retirement right before the season. The Titans don't look like they'll be a pushover either. We're going to have to ride this defense and hope we can stay healthy.

[Pantherzack179812]

2 hours ago, hepcat said:

I'll be ranking each game as either "Should Win", "Tossup" or "Should Lose" - and predict a final record.

Week 8 @ 49ers: "Should Lose" - The 49ers are 6-0 and boast a top flight defense and multi-faceted running game. They have the #1 overall defense in total yardage allowed, and the 2nd ranked rushing attack. Critics can point to the record of their opponents, who are currently 11-28 collectively, as a big reason why the 49ers stats might be quite inflated. But make no mistake, a good team beats up on the bad teams, and that's exactly what the 49ers have done. If this game was in Carolina, I'd rate this game a "Tossup", but having to fly out to the west coast makes for a very tough matchup.

Week 9 vs. Titans: "Should Win"  - The Titans are 3-4 and have won some close games they probably should have lost. They are struggling at the QB position, although Ryan Tannehill performed better against the Chargers than Mariota had been. They have a solid defense, ranking #8 overall in yardage allowed. This should be a tough test for the Panthers, but I believe playing at home with the Panthers ferocious pass rush, will force the Titans into some turnovers and ultimately turn the game. 

Week 10 @ Packers: "Should Lose" - Aaron Rodgers is a tough test no matter when or where you play him. The Packers are currently 6-1 and playing some good football. To the eye test, their defense and pass rush has improved over last season, although they only rank #26 overall in yardage allowed. This could be a trap game for the Packers, playing the Chiefs then traveling to Los Angeles to face the Chargers the week before the Panthers game, but winning at Lambeau against Aaron Rodgers is a tough thing to do, and I think the Panthers will have a hard time doing it as well.

Week 11 vs. Falcons: "Should Win" - The Falcons are in disarray. Dan Quinn could be fired by the time this game is played, and that might actually improve the win chances of the Falcons. Either way, the Falcons are one of the worst teams in the NFL this season, and if the Panthers can't beat them at home, they have no business being in the playoffs.

Week 12 @ Saints: "Should Lose" - Top to bottom, the Saints are one of the best teams in the NFL this season. The Saints have had the Panthers number recently. The Panthers have not beaten the Saints with Drew Brees at the helm since Week 11 of 2016. They have not beaten Drew Brees in the Superdome since 2015. This is probably the most likely loss on the Panthers remaining schedule, but a win would almost certainly open up the possibility of a division title. 

Week 13 vs. Redskins: "Should Win" - The Panthers get another fortuitous matchup, facing one of the worst teams in the NFL in the Redskins, who already fired their head coach after an 0-5 start. Another game the Panthers cannot lose if they want to make the playoffs.

Week 14 @ Falcons: "Should Win" - Again, the Falcons are one of the worst teams in the NFL and might be in full tank mode by this point in the season. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones could be benched to preserve their health. On the flip side, the Falcons could go full "this is our Superbowl" and try their very best to stymie the Panthers playoff hopes. But the Panthers are the better team in this matchup and this is a must win for their playoff chances.

Week 15 vs Seahawks: "Tossup" - This could be the most important game of the season. The Seahawks are looking like they will be in a season-long battle with the 49ers for the NFC West division crown, and could be battling for a wildcard spot by this point in the season depending on how things go. They could be in direct competition with the Panthers for that wildcard spot. As all Panthers fans know, playing the Seahawks is always a close hard fought affair. After letting one slip last season, I hope the Panthers can pull this one out. A loss could be devastating for their playoff hopes.

Week 16 @ Colts: "Tossup" - The Colts have proven everyone wrong and have succeeded with Jacoby Brissett at QB. They have a decent defense and are well-coached. This one is a true tossup and will likely come down to a handful of key plays to determine the winner.

Week 17 vs Saints: "Tossup" - For the first time since 2009, the Panthers actually get to face the Saints at HOME in the final week. They have only played 1 other home game in the final week of the NFL season since 2009 (2015 against the Bucs) and have played the Saints in the Superdome in the final week three times since 2011. By this point, we will know if the Saints have locked up the division or if the Panthers are still in the running for a division title. The Saints could be resting starters in this game, but I believe if they have a chance to knock the Panthers out of the playoff picture, they will go full HAM on the Panthers. This game could go many different directions depending on how the rest of the season plays out, so time will tell how important this game is.

Overall, there are 4 "Should Win", 3 "Should Lose", and 3 "Tossups". That puts the Panthers at a record of 8-5, if things shake out how I've seen them, with 3 games that could swing their season in either direction, the most important of which being Week 15 against the Seahawks. I'd put the Panthers ceiling around 11-5, and their floor around 7-9.

This is not an easy schedule for the Panthers, but there are very winnable games, and if they can steal 1 or 2 of the "Should Lose" games, things will look much better for their playoff chances. 

Do we ever have confidence we will win a hard game? Toss up against the saints at home but us at their place is a auto loss... we whipped that teams ass last year in a game that mattered but cams bum arm cost us that game... Allen whipped the saints starting Defensive unit in the 1st half... I’ve yet to see since 2017 how they’re 10x better then us. They haven’t beaten anybody yet that has made my jaw drop..: I think we destroy SF on Sunday (OVERRATED) and go 1-1 vs GB and NO on the road to go into December with 3 losses. Beat the Seahawks and we go into the last game 12-3 and the best the saints can be is 13-2... lets get to freaking Miami, sick of these wild card predictions... I want to see a postseason game from our stands, not 1000 miles away on tv!

[Pantherzack179812]

Just now, Pantherzack179812 said:

Do we ever have confidence we will win a hard game? Toss up against the saints at home but us at their place is a auto loss... we whipped that teams ass last year in a game that mattered but cams bum arm cost us that game... Allen whipped the saints starting Defensive unit in the 1st half... I’ve yet to see since 2017 how they’re 10x better then us. They haven’t beaten anybody yet that has made my jaw drop..: I think we destroy SF on Sunday (OVERRATED) and go 1-1 vs GB and NO on the road to go into December with 3 losses. Beat the Seahawks and we go into the last game 12-3 and the best the saints can be is 13-2... lets get to freaking Miami, sick of these wild card predictions... I want to see a postseason game from our stands, not 1000 miles away on tv!

Just to add on, colts isnt a toss up, this is a super bowl contender, Colts are a wild card/ low end division winner. We will win that 

[Pantherzack179812]

One last thing, the saints stopped Mike Shula’s offense... only reason they stopped Norvs was Cams arm... see y’all in the Bank in January, the south is ours.

[DeAngelo Beason]

2 hours ago, BlazeCarolina said:

I don't think AJ will be healthy by the deadline.  You want us to trade for an injured/unknown AJ Green?

I don't think we should sell the farm by any means, but if he could be had for a reasonable cost then yes.

[PantherFanInPhilly]

You know how we do...we'll beat the Packers and Saints and lose to the damn Falcons and Skins. 

[panthers55]

2 hours ago, mc52beast said:

9ers are winning despite Grap playing poorly. He’s making horrible decisions and that D is bailing him out. 
 

If we can somehow slow down their run game we win this thing

That is the thing. The key is our offensive scheme and matchups against SF at the line and in the secondary.  Most offenses they face throw short and SF is stacking the box which causes plays for losses and clogged running lanes. Samuel is a key, given we need to throw deep and keep San Francisco's safeties out of the box.  I expect at times we will go max protect and let Samuel go one on one with the corner. I would like to see CMC in the slot this game being used as a receiver. Spread these folks out which should give us more lanes to run or pass.

[hepcat]

Update: this has played out about how we’ve expected so far. No reason to panic if the Panthers lose to the Packers with more important games coming up on the schedule. 

[hepcat]

Still right on as far as this was predicted