What the ESPN FPI Says About the Panthers' Chances vs the Vikings
Carolina fell in heartbreaking fashion this past Sunday, dropping their overall record to 3-2 on the young year. At one point, the Panthers had a 15-3 lead before Philadelphia stormed back in the second half to take the lead and eventually go on to win the game. Turnovers, poor pass protection, and Jalen Hurts' legs at the end of the game cost Carolina the win.
It's a tough loss for the team to get over, but they can't dwell on it and essentially lose this game twice. Carolina has to turn the page and move on to this week's opponent which is the Minnesota Vikings. Minnesota is coming off of a 19-17 win in which Greg Joseph kicked a 54-yard field goal as time expired to defeat the Detroit Lions. Although they scraped by the winless Lions, the Vikings are a solid football team. They fell in overtime to the Bengals on opening week, lost to the undefeated Arizona Cardinals by one, beat the Seahawks, and lost to the Browns 14-7.
Vikings QB Kirk Cousins has done an extremely good job of moving the offense completing passes at a near 70% clip to go along with his 10 passing touchdowns. Cousins has a pair of dynamic receivers to his arsenal in Adam Thielen and Justin Jefferson both of whom could pose some problems for the Panthers' secondary.
On the flip side, the Vikings have a middle-of-the-road type of defense which could bode well for Sam Darnold who has struggled the past 1.5 games. With RB Christian McCaffrey likely to return, this should give the Panthers a much-needed boost offensively.
According to the ESPN FPI, the Panthers have a 54.3% chance to win while the Vikings have a 45.3% chance.
The Panthers and Vikings are set to kick off at 1 p.m. on Sunday from Bank of America Stadium.
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