The Carolina Panthers haven’t finished over .500 since Devin Funchess lost the ball in the lights at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome. Heck, the stadium doesn’t even go by that name anymore.
But if NFL Network’s Adam Rank pins his predictions for the 2023 campaign, the streak . . . is over.
Rank recently ran through the Panthers’ upcoming regular-season slate, dishing out wins and losses as he saw fit. And of the 17 games, nine forecasted Carolina as the victors. Those dubs are as follows:
- Week 2 vs. New Orleans Saints
- Week 3 at Seattle Seahawks
- Week 4 vs. Minnesota Vikings
- Week 8 vs. Houston Texans
- Week 9 vs. Indianapolis Colts
- Week 12 at Tennessee Titans
- Week 15 vs. Atlanta Falcons
- Week 16 vs. Green Bay Packers
- Week 18 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
These projections have the Panthers winding up at 9-8, which would be their first winning record since 2017. That season saw Carolina go 11-5 and clinch a spot in the Wild Card round against the Saints—where they suffered a gut punch of a 31-26 loss.
Would a 9-8 mark, however, be good enough to clinch them a playoff spot this year? Hey, in this era of the NFC South, anything seems possible.
