The Panthers have lost four games in a row by a combined score of 122-42!  The Browns have lost two games in a row (to the Jets & Jaguars) despite playing decent ball in defeat as they were outscored 50-40 in those games.  In the previous two games though the Browns beat the Saints & Patriots by a combined score of 64-31.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Panthers have the ball:  It looks as if Jimmy Clausen will be back to start this game at QB for the Panthers.  If the O-Line doesn’t give Clausen time to throw the ball (Panthers’ QBs have been sacked 30 times already this year) he isn’t going to be able to do anything through the air.  The Panthers are more likely to try to keep the ball on the ground with Mike Goodson and Jonathan Stewart against a Browns’ D that is allowing 116.4 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.

When the Browns have the ball:  Jake Delhomme will be making the start at QB for the Browns in the place of a injured Colt McCoy.  I don’t see that making a huge difference in this game because I see the Browns feeding the rock to Peyton Hillis.   It won’t be easy for the Panthers to deal with Hillis as they are allowing 128.4 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.  If Jake Delhomme has time to throw the ball, I think he’s going to be effective in this game.

PREDICTION:  BROWNS 27, PANTHERS 10

The Panthers are going to start Brian St. Pierre at QB this weekend against the Ravens.  That is a scary proposition.  The Panthers have not been good at home this year where they are 1-4 (they have been outscored 117-46 at home).  The Ravens are going to be fired up after losing right at the end of the game last Thursday Night.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers might be smart to try to throw the ball against the Ravens who are allowing 216.7 yards passing per game so far this year.  To do that the Panthers are going to have to protect Brian St. Pierre who is going to be making his first NFL start.  The Panthers need to get the ball to Steve Smith who is without a doubt the best player on their offense, period.  Mike Goodson will get another start at RB and he will take on a Ravens’ D that is allowing 99.8 yards rushing per game and 4.0 yards per carry.

When the Ravens have the ball:  The Panthers are going to have to stop the passing game of the Ravens first as Joe Flacco has been solid.  It’s not going to be easy as Anquan Boldin, T.J. Houshmanzadeh, Donte’ Stallworth, Derrick Mason and Todd Heap give him a lot of solid targets.  That doesn’t even include Ray Rice and Willis McGahee out of the backfield.  Rice & McGahee will take aim on the ground at the Panthers’ run D which is allowing 131.6 yards rushing per game and 4.1 yards per carry so far this year.

PREDICTION:  RAVENS 37, PANTHERS 0

The Carolina Panthers have having a year to forget.  They will have Jimmy Clausen starting at QB and Mike Goodson starting at RB in this game.  The Buccaneers are a team on the rise.  But, they are only 2-2 at home and they have been outscored 100-51 there.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Panthers have the football:  The Panthers should attempt to run a balanced offense in this game.  RB Mike Goodson could find running room this Sunday against a Bucs’ D that is allowing 147.0 yards rushing per game and 5.0 yards per carry so far this year.  The Bucs might not double Steve Smith as they do have two solid corners in Ronde Barber and Aqib Talib.  If the Bucs decide to single cover Smith, Jimmy Clausen will have to look to him early and often.  The Bucs only have six sacks this year but they also have 14 interceptions this year.  That means the Clausen will likely have time to throw the ball but he will have to be careful with it.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Buccaneers will likely run a balanced offense on Sunday with LeGarrett Blount running the ball and Josh Freeman chucking it.  If Blount gets a running game going against a Panthers’ D that is allowing 124.8 yards rushing per game and 3.8 yards per carry, look for that to slow the Panthers’ pass rush and allow Josh Freeman to take shots down the field.  WR Mike Williams might have a big game this Sunday.

PREDICTION:  BUCCANEERS 27, PANTHERS 3

The Saints only beat the Panthers 16-14 at New Orleans earlier this year.  The Panthers have played better since the bye as they are 1-1 the last two weeks.  This should be a very interesting game this Sunday.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers are likely going to try to get Jonathan Stewart going against a Saints’ D that is allowing 108.6 yards rushing and 4.1 yards per carry.  But the Panthers can’t afford to play it too close against the vest in this game and why would they?  The Saints only have 5 interceptions so far this year so maybe Matt Moore will have some success through the air.  Steve Smith and rookie WRs Brandon LaFell and David Gettis could have decent games tomorrow which would give the Panthers a legit shot at an upset.

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are going to throw the ball early and often in this game.  The Panthers only have 11 sacks this year so Drew Brees should have time to throw the ball.  He won’t play favorites among his WRs and TEs tomorrow so the Panthers won’t be able to double anyone.  The Panthers will likely have the front seven try to take care of the Saints’ running game as the defense will be focusing on stopping Drew Brees.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 23, PANTHERS 13

The Carolina Panthers finally broke the seal in beating the 49ers 23-20 last Sunday.  The Rams lost a tough win in the waning seconds in Tampa Bay last week.  But the Rams are a good home team so far this year as they are 3-1 at home and they have outscored the opposition 83-53.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game: 

When the Panthers have the ball:  I have to think that the Panthers are going to come out running the ball this Sunday.  DeAngelo Williams probably won’t play in this game due to a foot injury so look for Jonathan Stewart to have a heavy workload against a Rams’ D that is allowing 108.1 yards rushing per game and 4.6 yards per carry.  The Rams have 20 sacks this year so it will be up to the O-Line to give Matt Moore time to throw the ball.  If he has time to throw the ball he could have success throwing the ball to Steve Smith and rookies David Gettis & Brandon LaFell. 

When the Rams have the ball:  Steven Jackson will likely have a heavy workload against the Panthers who are allowing 128.5 yards rushing and 3.9 yards per carry.  Sam Bradford will likely have time to throw the ball against the Panthers who only have 9 sacks this year.  He just needs someone in his receiving corps to step up this week.

PREDICTION:  PANTHERS 16, RAMS 13 

The 49ers finally won their first game of the season 17-9 against the Raiders.  The Panthers have had two weeks to get ready for the Niners as they had a bye last week.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers are going to come out trying to run the ball with DeAngelo Williams & Jonathan Stewart against a Niners’ D that is allowing 111.2 yards rushing per game and 3.9 yards per carry.  WR Steve Smith is back from injury and Matt Moore is back as the starting QB for the Panthers so maybe, just maybe they will have some success throwing the ball.  That all depends on the offensive line as they have allowed Panthers’ QBs to be sacked 17 times already this year.

When the 49ers have the ball:  The 49ers are going to likely come out running the ball with Frank Gore against a Panthers’ D which is allowing 134.4 yards rushing per game but only 3.8 yards per carry.  The Panthers only have 7 sacks this year but they have 9 pickoffs so Alex Smith is going to have time to throw the ball but he has to be careful with it.  I fully expect this to be the week that the 49ers try to throw the ball down the field to Michael Crabtree.  But, Vernon Davis and Frank Gore (out of the backfield) will also see quite a few targets in this game.

PREDICTION:  49ERS 20, PANTHERS 16

The Bears will be without Jay Cutler (concussion) in this game but the Panthers will be without WR Steve Smith (high ankle sprain).  The advantage will belong with the Bears in that tradeoff.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Bears have the ball:  The Bears will be a little different with Todd Collins at QB instead of Jay Cutler.  Collins doesn’t have near Cutler’s arm strength so the passing game will likely be of the shorter variety this weekend.  TE Greg Olsen and Johnny Knox will likely get most of the targets in the passing game from Collins.  I also think that the Bears will get the ball in Matt Forte & Chester Taylor’s hands a lot in both the running and passing game against the Panthers.  The Panthers only have 4 sacks this year so Collins should have a lot of time to throw the ball this week.

When the Panthers have the ball:  With Steve Smith out of action I can almost guarantee that the Panthers are going to feed the ball to DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart both in the running game and the passing game.  The Bears have a stout front seven on D as they are only allowing 77.0 yards rushing and 3.5 yards per carry this year.  Panthers’ QBs have been sacked 12 times already this season and that doesn’t bode well with Julius Peppers playing for the Bears now.  Clausen likely won’t have much time to throw the ball and a very young WRing corps to throw to.

PREDICTION:  BEARS 17, PANTHERS 3

The Panthers need a win badly to turn their season around.  But, the Saints are going to be very upset after getting beat at home by the Falcons last weekend.  The Panthers did split games with the Saints last season which each team winning at home.  Here is the look at the matchups in this game:

When the Panthers have the ball:  The only chance the Panthers have to win this game is to pound out a win on the ground.  The Panthers rushed for 180.0 yards per game against the Saints last year with both DeAngelo Williams (21 car, 149 yards, 2 TDs) and Jonathan Stewart (29 car, 149 yards, TD) having success.  The Saints are giving up 145.0 yards rushing and 4.4 yards per carry so far this year so this might be the week that the Panthers get their running game going.  The Saints will likely try to get after rookie QB Jimmy Clausen while double covering Steve Smith. 

When the Saints have the ball:  The Saints are without a doubt going to go to the air in this football game.  The Saints are going to try to pass the ball to get the lead before trying to grind the game out on the ground.  The Saints have a lot of weapons in the passing game which will cause the Panthers big issues with coverage as Drew Brees likes to spread the ball around.

PREDICTION:  SAINTS 31, PANTHERS 13

The Panthers have a tough matchup this weekend in front of them.  The Bengals have a lot of talent on both sides of the ball and the Panthers will likely be overmatched personnel wise in this game.  Here is a look at the matchups in this game:

When the Panthers have the ball:  The Panthers are going to run the ball this whole game.  DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart are going to take turns pounding away at the Bengals’ D which has allowed 113.5 yards rushing per game and 4.9 yards per carry.  The Panthers better hope they have success running the ball because Jimmy Clausen will be making his first start of the year and the Panthers’ O-Line has already allowed 8 sacks this year.  That coupled with the fact that the Bengals have a great pair of corners could spell big trouble for the Panthers passing the ball on Sunday.  Steve Smith will likely be doubled the whole game by the Bengals.

When the Bengals have the ball:  I have little doubt that the Bengals are going to come off the team bus throwing the football.  The Panthers only have 1 sack this year and they are giving up 218.0 yards passing per game so far.  I see Palmer throwing the ball downfield to Chad Ocho Cinco and Terrell Owens a lot in this game and that’s bad news for the Panthers.  The Panthers must also keep tabs on rookies (WR) Jordan Shipley and (TE) Jermaine Gresham who have been doing the dirty work for the Bengals on the short stuff.  The Bengals will also likely attack the middle of the Panthers’ D quite often with Cedric Benson & Bernard Scott.

PREDICTION:  BENGALS 27, PANTHERS 7

The Panthers got beat up pretty good last week by the Giants.  That could change this weekend as the Panthers will likely be the bullies in the home season opener against the Buccaneers.  The Panthers swept the Bucs by a combined score of 44-27 last year.  Here is a look at the match-ups in this game:

When the Panthers have the football:  The Panthers are going to be conservative this weekend and why not?  The Panthers rushed for 424 yards on 81 carries (5.2 ypc) with 4 TD runs last season in the games against the Bucs.  Look for DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart to have very heavy workloads this Sunday.  The Panthers still aren’t sure if starting QB Matt Moore will be ready to go but it won’t likely matter too much as I don’t see them passing much.  I expect the Bucs to be double covering Steve Smith this week but he’s no stranger to that set-up and he still makes big plays anyway.

When the Buccaneers have the ball:  The Panthers need to do a better job against the Bucs running game.  Cadillac Williams rushed for 169 yards on 33 carries (5.1 ypc) with 1 TD run against the Panthers last season.  If the Panthers can stop Williams and force Josh Freeman to throw the ball they will be in good shape.  Freeman threw 5 pickoffs in his only start against the Panthers last year and he has a very young receiving corps so mistakes will be there for the Panthers to capitalize on.

PREDICTION:  PANTHERS 20, BUCCANEERS 10