Teams That the Carolina Panthers Should Beat in 2022
Year three could be a make-or-break year for Matt Rhule as head coach of the Carolina Panthers.
Unfortunately, the NFL did him no favors in the early portion of the schedule as the Panthers have to go up against some of the league's best including the Saints, Cardinals, 49ers, Rams, Buccaneers, and Bengals. The schedule is challenging, sure, but there are a handful of games the Panthers should be able to win.
Here are seven games that Carolina must win if they want to make progress in 2022.
Week 2 at New York Giants
I know what you're thinking, how is this a team the Panthers should beat after the way they looked against them last year? Well, this is a completely different team, that's how. The offensive line is significantly improved and I don't see Daniel Jones having much success against the secondary this time around. It's early in the season and Matt Rhule's teams have played well in the month of September.
Week 4 vs Arizona Cardinals
This one might be a little surprising to see on here but you have to think of the matchup and the situation. Matt Rhule is 2-0 against Kliff Kingsbury and the Cardinals and that includes a 34-10 thumping this past season with P.J. Walker and Cam Newton splitting quarterback duties. DeAndre Hopkins will be in the middle of a six-game suspension at the time of this game, meaning the Panthers won't have to worry about one of the best receivers in the game. As long as Sam Darnold avoids the catastrophic play, the Panthers could steal one early from Arizona.
Week 8 at Atlanta Falcons, Week 10 vs Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons are a bad team, man. Like, really bad. It's not too often that a team could go 0-6 within its own division but this year's Atlanta Falcons team is going to struggle to find wins, especially in the NFC South. With Calvin Ridley suspended for the entire season, teams are going to key in on Kyle Pitts and force Marcus Mariota to throw the ball to the other receivers. Defensively, losing Foyesade Oluokun is a big loss. There are some pieces on the defensive side to build around, but it's not a unit that's going to scare anyone in 2022. If Carolina wins the road matchup in week eight, look for them to earn their first sweep of Atlanta since 2013.
Week 14 at Seattle Seahawks
No one has a clue as to who will be quarterbacking the Seahawks by Week 14. It seems as if Geno Smith is ahead in the quarterback race at the moment, but Drew Lock, who they traded for, could emerge as the starter at some point. Regardless of who is under center, I don't see Carolina having any trouble here. This could be a game in which the Panthers pitch a shutout or something close to it. Phil Snow's defense is going to be too much for Seattle, assuming that the unit is mostly healthy.
Week 15 vs Pittsburgh Steelers
I nearly left the Steelers off this list because of how talented their defense is. But I couldn't leave out all of the issues that plague this team at the two most important spots - quarterback and offensive line. I'm not sold on Mitch Trubisky completely revitalizing his career in Pittsburgh and I don't think we'll see Kenny Pickett this season either. I don't know if this is a game the Panthers should win, but it's one they can win.
Week 16 vs Detroit Lions
I like the direction the Lions are headed in under Dan Campbell. I really do. But this team is still a long way away from being competitive in the NFC. It's an extremely young team at key spots and at this point in the season, they will be struggling to find confidence after piling up a number of losses. Not to mention, depth could be a real issue for Detroit.
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