The hopes of the Carolina Panthers — and anyone who bets on them — hang with quarterback Bryce Young.
Carolina head coach Dave Canales put the struggling first overall pick in “time out” early last year, and that punishment worked wonders for Young, especially in the back half of the schedule.
From Week 9 onward, Young put his disastrous start to his pro career behind him, ranking 11th in EPA + CPOE and powering the Panthers to a 7-2 ATS run in the final nine games of 2024 (4-5 SU).
It helped Carolina was getting +5.5 or more from bookies in eight of those outings. The 2025 look-ahead lines offer up plenty of padding as well, with Carolina pegged as a pup in 15 games and drawing spreads of +3.5 or higher eight times.
Year 2 under Canales might pick up where it left off for bettors. Here’s my Carolina Panthers 2025 NFL betting preview, loaded with NFL picks.
Carolina Panthers best bets
Read on for Jason's full analysis and Carolina Panthers breakdown!
Carolina Panthers odds for 2025
| Market |  |
|---|---|
| Win Super Bowl | +150000 |
| Win conference | +5000 |
| Win division | +400 |
| Make playoffs | +230 |
| Over 6.5 wins | -140 |
| Under 6.5 wins | +110 |
Best futures bet: Third in NFC South (+190)
Things may look bleak in Raleigh if you add up the NFL odds, but at least it’s not New Orleans, right?
The Carolina Panthers have a No. 1 starter in place and are building on a strong finish to 2024, with the front office investing in weaknesses this offseason. That puts the Panthers on the right track to finish ahead of the rival Saints, who are undergoing a top-to-bottom restoration.
Win totals (lean to seven victories) give Carolina the nod, and an easier start to the season offers momentum heading into November.
Carolina Panthers at a glance: Over thinking it
Along with a 7-2 ATS flourish, the Panthers also went 7-2 Over/Under in those closing nine games. That made Carolina the best Over bet in football, with a 13-4 O/U record.
Even with investments in defense, the Panthers’ stop unit will be the weak link, yet the look-ahead totals aren’t too tall.
Carolina’s O/U numbers range from 43.5 to 47.5 points. If Young and the offense get it in gear, the Overs will keep cashing.
What will win bets: Offensive growth
Carolina’s offense was rated 10th in EPA per play in those closing nine games of 2024. The team added to their skill positions and play in front of a sound offensive line.
The run game should be fun. The improving O-line was 10th in run block win rate and has an energetic backfield of Chuba Hubbard, Rico Dowdle, and rookie Trevor Etienne.
Young has a potential No. 1 option in first-round WR Tetairoa McMillan, along with Xavier Legette and Adam Thielen.
The 2025 slate doesn’t throw many speed bumps at Canales’ offense, with several stop units projected to finish in the bottom half of the league on deck.
What will lose bets: Defense
There was nowhere to go but up for Carolina’s defense. The Panthers hemorrhaged an all-time high 534 total points in 2024 and ranked dead last in several key analytics.
The pass defense is expected to improve with returning standouts and free agent adds up front and in the secondary. The run defense is another story. Carolina was 32nd in run stop win rate and got bullied for 5.2 yards per carry.
It might not matter what the offense can do if the Panthers' defense allows foes to control possession and clock on the ground.
Carolina Panthers schedule + spot bet: On the prowl
The 2025 schedule opens with three road games in four weeks and throws a similar crunch at Carolina between Week 9 and Week 12. Despite that travel, the opening seven weeks aren’t too daunting.
The Panthers could come out swinging against Jacksonville, Arizona, Atlanta, New England, Miami, Dallas, and the N.Y. Jets — all of which are average to below average squads heading into 2025.
Spot bet: Week 6 vs. Dallas +1.5, 46.5
The Panthers benefit from a few schedule spots this year, including a homestand vs. the Cowboys on October 12.
Dallas will be playing in its second straight away game and its third road outing in four weeks. The Cowboys could also get caught in a look-ahead spot, due to an important divisional dance with Washington in Week 7.
Carolina is a 1.5-point home pup and was 6-1 Over/Under as a home underdog in 2024. The current look-ahead total is 46.5, which seems low considering these are two porous defenses.
Young guns
| Market | |
|---|---|
| Win MVP | +10000 |
| Lead NFL in Passing Yards | +7500 |
| Over 3224.5 Passing Yards | -110 |
| Under 3224.5 Passing Yards | -110 |
| Over 17.5 Touchdown Passes | -130 |
| Under 17.5 Touchdowns Passes | +100 |
Bryce Young best bet: Over 3,224.5 passing yards (-110)
It seems the 2025 projections are buying into Young’s second-half surge, forecasting the Carolina QB to pass for 3,400 yards or more.
The Panthers did pump life into the receiving corps, and with a dreadful defense and plenty of big spreads, the offense will be playing from behind. That means plenty of dropbacks for Young.
As mentioned, the Panthers’ schedule isn’t very prickly in terms of opposing defenses. Several upcoming foes ranked in the back half of success rate per dropback allowed, including four games against New Orleans and Atlanta.
Carolina Panthers trend: Sad ATS starts/Fantastic ATS finishes
The Panthers are the textbook example of a “bad” team becoming a “good” bet.
That transition often takes a really bad start to inflate lines to the point where value bubbles up on that bad team down the stretch.
Carolina is a puke-inducing 2-15-1 ATS in the opening six weeks of play the past three seasons (14%). At that point, bookmakers are backing up a dump truck of points and flipping those fortunes to a collective 15-9-1 ATS count from Week 10 to Week 18 (62%).
Last season, the Panthers started 1-5 ATS. They finished 6-2 ATS in the final eight games.
More NFL team previews
Want to see Jason's forecast for the rest of the NFL? Check out all of his NFL team previews below!
| Bills | Ravens | Texans | Broncos |
| Dolphins | Bengals | Colts | Chiefs |
| Patriots | Browns | Jaguars | Raiders |
| Jets | Steelers | Titans | Chargers |
| Cowboys | Bears | Falcons | Cardinals |
| Giants | Lions | Panthers | Rams |
| Eagles | Packers | Saints | 49ers |
| Commanders | Vikings | Buccaneers | Seahawks |
Odds are correct at the time of publishing and are subject to change.
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