The Carolina Panthers are about to enter a particularly tough stretch—with three of the NFC’s four reigning semifinalists awaiting them in the coming weeks. So, you can pretty much bet (perhaps literally) that they’ll be the underdogs throughout this daunting gauntlet.
It all begins at Bank of America Stadium for Week 5, where the Panthers will host the visiting and favored San Francisco 49ers. Tipico Sportsbook, as of late Monday night, has Carolina as 5.5-point dogs in the matchup.
Fresh off a loss to the Arizona Cardinals, one plagued by a dull offensive showing, the Panthers are now 1-3 on the young campaign. Their 26-16 defeat was headlined by yet another poor outing from quarterback Baker Mayfield.
Mayfield completed 22 of his 36 throws for 197 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. He also had five of those incompletions batted—the most in a single game, per Pro Football Focus, over the last five seasons.
Unfortunately, Mayfield and his struggling offense will have, perhaps, the NFL’s best defense awaiting them. In moving to 2-2, the 49ers shut down the Los Angeles Rams—holding the defending champions to just nine points while registering seven sacks and two takeaways.
The odds, in more ways than one, certainly aren’t in Carolina’s favor.
