Panthers vs. Cardinals Final Score Prediction for NFL Week 2 (Can Carolina Cover?)

The Carolina Panthers suffered a tough loss in Week 1 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but they’re aiming to bounce back on the road in Week 2 against Kyler Murray and the Arizona Cardinals.

Arizona picked up a win in Week 1, but it let the New Orleans Saints hang around for quite some time in that matchup. Murray and the Cards did end up covering the spread, but there were some anxious moments on the Saints’ final drive in the fourth quarter.

If the Cardinals want to compete for an NFC West title, this is a game that they have to win at home against one of the worst defenses in the NFL. Carolina allowed more points than any team in the league last season, and it picked up right where it left off in Week 1, allowing Jacksonville to score 26 points in a 16-point loss.

All season long, the SI Betting team is going to share score predictions using the latest odds and analysis to attempt to get a score right – and give bettors our thoughts on both the spread and total.

Can Bryce Young and the Panthers bounce back? Or will Kyler pick up another ATS win?

Here’s where I’m leaning for this matchup on Sunday afternoon.

Panthers vs. Cardinals Odds, Spread and Total

Odds via DraftKings Sportsbook

Spread

Panthers +6.5 (-108)
Cardinals -6.5 (-112)

Moneyline

Panthers: +240
Cardinals: -298

Total

43.5 (Over -115/Under -105)

The biggest movement in the odds for this game since they opened on Sunday night is the total, as it has moved from 45.5 to 43.5.

Arizona remains pretty heavily favored after it won – and covered – as a 6.5-point favorite against the Saints in Week 1.

Panthers vs. Cardinals Final Score Prediction

Earlier this week, SI’s NFL betting insider Iain MacMillan shared his pick for this game in his Road to 272 column, and he’s rolling with Carolina to cover on the road:

The Panthers aren't as good as people thought they'd be heading into this season, but I don't think they're as bad as they looked in Week 1. The Cardinals aren't nearly good enough to be deserving of being 6.5-point favorites in this game. They barely scraped by the worst team in the league in Week 1 and certainly didn't look impressive in the process.

Bryce Young will have to look better in this game, but he and the Panthers' offense can do enough to keep this game close.

Carolina’s offense looked awful against Jacksonville, but the Cardinals let New Orleans and Spencer Rattler hang around in Week 1. New Orleans had a chance to tie the game on the final drive, a wild thought considering it is projected to win just a handful of games in 2025.

Are the Panthers as bad as the Saints? I don’t think so, and even with Arizona at home, I’m not sold on the Cards covering. In his career, Murray is just 14-19 against the spread as a favorite.

I’m buying the Panthers to keep this game within a touchdown on Sunday.

Final Score Prediction: Cardinals 20, Panthers 16

Odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.

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