Docs Website

53 Years Strong! A Trusted Leader In Sports Picks, Best Bets and Predictions Since 1971.

Main Menu

2025 Carolina Panthers Predictions with Odds to Win the Super Bowl and Season Win Totals

by Spencer Toth - 7/30/2025

Carolina Panthers predictions Bryce Young

Things can’t get much worse for the Carolina Panthers. While they more than doubled their 2023 2-15 record with a 5-12 finish last year, there is still minimal optimism that this team can turn things around. The Panthers are still reeling from their devastating trade to acquire Bryce Young, but they will not care if the young signal-caller can develop into a solid option at quarterback this season. Will Young continue his progression from the second half of last season, or will the Panthers find themselves at the bottom of the standings for yet another season?

Doc’s Sports offers NFL expert picks for every game on our NFL predictions page.

Offseason Recap

The Panthers retooled their roster over the offseason, but they expect most of their improvements to come from players already on their roster. On offense, the Panthers added Tetairoa McMillan with their 8th overall selection. McMillan will likely be WR1 in Carolina and has the potential for a big year with plenty of targets from Bryce Young. The Panthers’ pass-catching options were not terrible, but there is no denying the instant impact McMillan is capable of. He isn’t the best with complicated routes, but he has all the physical attributes a dominant receiver needs and will be the perfect complement to veteran Adam Thielen. McMillan was not the only skill position added, as an underrated signing for the Panthers is Rico Dowdle. The former Cowboy excelled as the lead back in Dallas, and he will comprise a lethal one-two punch with Chuba Hubbard. Hubbard was a complete workhorse last season for Carolina with a career high 1,195 yards, but the Canadian will be more effective if he splits carries. Dowdle will alleviate Hubbard’s workload, and rookie Trevor Etienne from Georgia will also get a few touches. 

On defense, the biggest signing for the Panthers is Tershawn Wharton. Wharton didn’t quite live up to expectations with the Chiefs, but he is still an incredible addition both on and off the field. Wharton knows what it takes to win playoff games and will be an excellent locker room presence for this team. On the field, he had a career-high 6.5 sacks last season and will be an excellent DL for second and third down for this team. 

Season Expectations

The Panthers appeared to be heading in the right direction during the tail end of last season, but there are still too many holes on both sides of the ball to expect meaningful football late in the season for Carolina. Their defense was abysmal, yet the Panthers elected to prioritize their offense in the offseason. Their trade for Bryce Young will go down as one of the worst in NFL history, but that will not affect his on-field play. Young has struggled during his first two years with the Panthers, but an invisible offensive line, combined with minimal skill position targets, has always left him with an uphill battle. Young bounced back from his benching nicely last season and now has his strongest supporting cast around him. Thielen and McMillan are two reliable receivers, while the backfield duo of Chuba Hubbard and Rico Dowdle will give Young some much-needed help in the run game. 

While the offense has shown signs of life, the Panthers' season will hinge on how they play on the defensive side of the ball. No player registered 6 or more sacks, and Carolina had just nine interceptions all season. The lack of explosive plays led to Carolina allowing a staggering 534 points in 17 games, which was 66 points more than the next closest team in the league. They will hope Wharton can shore up their pass rush, but losing leading tackler Xavier Woods to the Cowboys will not be an easy hole to fill. The Panthers' offense will climb out of the bottom 10 in the league, but their horrendous defense will prevent them from doing the climb into relevancy. However, a lackluster NFC South ensures the Panthers will likely have everything still to play for if they can get close to a .500 record. 

Schedule Breakdown

The Panthers will benefit from their place in the struggling NFC South. Two games against the Saints, who will be the worst team in the league, will help their cause, and winnable matchups against the Falcons and Buccaneers will determine how far the Panthers can go as they look to exit their rebuild. Carolina has the fifth-easiest schedule based on last year’s standings, which include games against the Jaguars, Jets, Patriots, and Cardinals. They open up the year against Jacksonville, then play the next 6 games against teams that were under .500 last year. Their tougher matchups are mainly towards the end of the season, so the Panthers must get off to a respectable start if they want to be in the playoff race in December. 

Carolina Panthers Odds

The Panthers are expected to do better than their 5-12 record last year, as their win total is 6.5 games with -130 odds for the over. Regarding the postseason, the Panthers have +230 odds to make the playoffs with +400 odds to do so with the NFC South crown. All the value is on the Panthers to win the NFC South over a playoff spot, as it is unlikely that the NFC South will be sending multiple teams to the postseason. In the playoffs, the Panthers have sky-high +8000 odds to win the NFC and +12500 odds to win the Super Bowl. On the other end of the spectrum, Carolina has +1200 to finish last in the NFL regular season. One interesting market to explore is the alternate win totals. The Panthers have +110 odds to finish with under 6.5 wins, but juicier +160 odds for under 5.5 wins. The oddsmakers are expecting Bryce Young to pick up where he left off, but the signal-caller may have another slow start. Carolina’s schedule features tough matchups to close out the year, so if they find themselves looking ahead to the draft, they may throw in the towel early and match their 5-12 record last year. 

2025 Season Predictions and Best Bets

The Panthers are expected to put more wins on the board this year compared to last, but I simply don’t see that happening. Bryce Young is undersized and appears destined to become the latest number one draft pick bust. He is capable of leading an average offense, but the Panthers' truly terrible defense means average will not be good enough to win games. Carolina refused to address their defensive issues in the offseason and will be right at the bottom of those rankings once again. Rather than taking odds on their win total, we will instead shoot for the moon with the Panthers to finish dead last in the NFL at +1200 odds. It is worthwhile to take longer odds for season-long futures, as locking up your bankroll for months with the prospect of a measly payout is not wise. Carolina went down as a historically bad team defensively last season, and will need Bryce Young to play at an MVP caliber to compensate. Will that happen? I’m willing to bet no. 

Pick: Carolina Panthers Under 6.5 Wins +110

Top Pick: Carolina Panthers to have the worst regular season record +1200

Get NFL picks on every single game, or if you want our very best bet premium picks by the experts, sign up for your free $60 account with a guarantee.

 

 

Most Recent NFL Handicapping

One E-mail A Week Is All You Need!
Our weekly newsletter is loaded with exclusive free picks,insight and advice from our expert handicappers