4 bold predictions for Panthers-49ers Monday Night Football matchup

The Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers get to cap off the Week 12 slate with what is, surprisingly, a crucial game for each team. They're both in the thick of the wild card race and their own division, so they each need a win. Here's what could happen when they face off.

Rico Dowdle won't have a great game

For two straight weeks, Rico Dowdle has been in check. Despite a very favorable matchup, I think that continues this week. Opposing defenses have dared Bryce Young to beat them, and last week, he obliged with little help from Dowdle.

The 49ers' passing defense is worse than the run defense, so I expect the Panthers to target that area of their offense again. They'll try to focus on Dowdle to take him away, and it will probably work. It may not matter much, but Dowdle could be in for another slower outing.

Bryce Young will come back down to earth (but not that far)

Bryce Young is in for a letdown game, although the bar is so high after last week that anything else is difficult. He should once again have a good day, but we can't expect what we saw last week, even if the matchup is so much better.

He will put back-to-back good outings together for the first time in maybe his entire career, depending on how you look at it. But he won't set records and totally dice up the 49ers defense like he did last week.

Christian McCaffrey will roast the Panthers defense

Christian McCaffrey is a nightmare for any defense, but he's going to be getting his first crack at his old team. Plus, the Panthers are thin at linebacker and aren't that talented there anyway, so if CMC can get past the first wave of defense, he will keep on going.

Kyle Shanahan will get him into matchups with those linebackers, and while I think the defensive line will play fairly well, it won't matter when McCaffrey gets 125+ yards through the air to go along with 75+ on the ground.

The Panthers force two turnovers

The Panthers defense has not forced all that many turnovers this year, but I think they can work some magic here. I think the defense will be out on the field a fair amount since this could end up a high-scoring affair, so opportunities will arise.

They will probably be able to do their best work against the pass. The secondary has been decent, and I think Brock Purdy will try to test Jaycee Horn, who is in desperate need of a bounce-back outing, one too many times.

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