This week, we get a matchup between two teams looking to finally turn the corner. Dave Canales has the pieces in place for Bryce Young to compete. And Jonathan Gannon was finally given an offseason to start building his defense after a couple of offseasons focusing on the offense. The time is now for these teams.

And this Sunday, we’ll see them square off on the rare grass field inside a dome in Arizona. The Cardinals will attempt to keep the momentum going after a Week One win, while the Panthers will try to bounce back from a tough loss. Only one undersized quarterback can win!

Even if you just want to see the Panthers vs. Cardinals odds and have Panthers vs. Cardinals picks of your own, don’t forget to scroll down at the end to see how you can scoop up a $1,500 BetMGM Sportsbook sign-up bonus! 

Panthers vs. Cardinals Predictions For NFL Week 1, Sunday 1:00 PM ET

Given their penchant to finish last place in their respective divisions, these teams actually square off fairly often. In fact, they have played five times over the last six years, with the exception coming in 2023. The Panthers quietly won four of those five games, as well as winning seven of the last eight meetings between these teams.

As I mentioned, the Cardinals are coming off a Week One victory against another NFC South team. They beat Spencer Rattler and the Saints 20-13. The Panthers lost a pretty decisive one to the Jacksonville Jaguars with a 26-10 drubbing. 

 

 

 

Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young Disappointing Start

Bryce Young actually finished last season with some pretty solid play. Even if they weren’t winning all the games, he took tough teams like the Philadelphia Eagles and Kansas City Chiefs to the wire. Hopes were high coming into this year, but his Week One outing was forgettable as he threw two interceptions and also lost a fumble en route to scoring only 10 points. The team traded away Adam Thielen and placed Jalen Coker on IR to start the year, so he’s adjusting to some new faces, including rookie Tetairoa McMillan. He had only 72 passing yards entering the fourth quarter.

The real problems for this team stemmed from defense, particularly the run defense. Last year, the Panthers ranked dead last in DVOA for run defense, and this year they didn’t look all that much better, allowing 200 yards on the ground to the Jaguars, spearheaded by Travis Etienne. That could be a problem this week with James Conner and Trey Benson in town. 

Arizona Cardinals: Can Kyler Murray Be A Winner? 

Kyler Murray has always been a fun player - especially in fantasy football. He’s currently the QB8 all-time in fantasy points per game. But the criticisms of him have been more related to his leadership, and also how his style of play translates to the W column. This year, he hopes to change that.

This offense is loaded with weapons, so that won’t be an issue. Trey McBride is awesome. Marvin Harrison Jr started strong this season and looks to continue. James Conner is a hard runner, and his past injury concerns are less of an issue with Trey Benson backing him up. It’s a strong team.

This year the Jonathan Gannon was finally allowed to focus on the defense. In fact, they used their first five picks of the 2025 NFL Draft all on defensive players. Their first round pick, Walter Nolen, has, unfortunately, started the season on the PUP list, but the defense certainly looked strong in their first outing. 

 

 

 

Panthers vs. Cardinals Odds, Spreads, Total & Betting Lines

As promised, the latest Panthers vs. Cardinals odds can be found below courtesy of BetMGM Sportsbook:

 

 

 

Panthers vs. Cardinals: Cardinals -6.5 (-115 at BetMGM Sportsbook )

We are grabbing this game now before the spread ends up a touchdown or more. Both these teams are working towards changing their public image; that much is true. But the Cardinals are simply farther along in the process here. They’ve had a full off-season for the offensive pieces to gel in Drew Petzing’s system. And the defense is already showing signs of improvement, ranking top 10 in DVOA in the first week.

The big difference maker here is the run defense of the Panthers vs. the rushing offense of the Arizona Cardinals. Not only do they have the 1-2 punch of James Conner and Trey Benson, but Kyler Murray is always a threat to rip off both designed run plays and scrambles. That type of attack against arguably the worst-run defense in the league is the recipe for success. And the Panthers will have to do it without free agent acquisition Tershawn Wharton, who is expected to miss a couple of weeks with a hamstring injury and has already been ruled out for this one. 


 

 

 

Panthers vs. Cardinals Injury Report & Latest News

Finally, let’s take a quick look at the projected starting lineups for both teams heading into tonight’s matchup:

CAR Panthers

ARI Cardinals

 

 

 

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