Arizona at Carolina

The Carolina Panthers were 15-1 during the regular season last year, but are just 1-5 to start this season. Only two teams have made the playoffs starting 1-5, so the Panthers are really up against the wall. What is the biggest difference between 15-1 last season, and 1-5 this year? The departure of Josh Norman is just one reason. The Panthers defense that allowed 19.1 points per game in the regular season last year has eroded to 29.3 ppg this year. When you add over 10 ppg to what your defense allows, you're in trouble. The Cardinals are not without trouble of their own at 3-3-1, as they can no longer match the 13-3 record from last season. They have done a good job defensively at home, where they are allow 11.2 ppg, but the road has been different as they are now allowing 27 points per game, while the Carolina offense is still productive, at 26.8ppg. Overall, the situation calls for above average scoring. Under Coach Rivera, Carolina is 41-29 to the OVER in 70 conference games. Take the OVER.