The Carolina Panthers will return home to face the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. This means it is time for some Panthers Week 3 bold predictions.
Things have not been going well in Carolina so far in 2022. The team is one out of the five teams that lost both of their first two games. Both of the Panthers' losses were close ones. In Week 1, in the Baker Mayfield's first game against his former team Cleveland Browns, Carolina's comeback came up short and they lost 26-24. Then, next week, the New York Giants hit a field goal with 3:38 left in the game clock, sealing the deal for a 19-16 loss for the Panthers.
Now, against New Orleans, Carolina will have the chance to bounce back in front of its fans at the Bank of America Stadium. With that being said, here are three bold predictions for the Panthers as they face the Saints in Week 3.
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3. Christian McCaffrey shows he is fully healthy, records 100+ all-purpose yards
There have been many questions surrounding Christian McCaffrey's status for the matchup against the Saints. Earlier this week, he was placed in the injury report due to an ankle injury. It ended up limiting his time on the field during practices. Luckily for Carolina fans, it seems he is good to go.
On Friday morning, the Panthers removed McCaffrey from the injury report, indicating he will play in Week 3. If he is fully recovered, there is a big chance he shows why he is the most important player from the team.
In 2019, his last fully healthy season, McCaffrey recorded 1,387 rushing yards and 1,005 receiving yards, plus 19 total touchdowns. Then, combining 2020 and 2021, the running back only appeared in 10 games.
Based on how the Panthers are doing in 2022, McCaffrey is essential if the team wants to finally return to the win column. After two seasons of struggling with injuries, it is likely the veteran wants to show he can still play at the highest level.
Because of that, if McCaffrey really is recovered, fans can expect him to finish with at least 100 all-purpose yards. His dual-threat abilities will be on display and, considering he is coming back from an ankle injury, the Panthers might use him more as a receiver to preserve his body.
2. Baker Mayfield throws for 250+ yards, two touchdowns
So far, Baker Mayfield's journey in Carolina is far from ideal. In addition to the two losses, the quarterback is not being very effective. He has completed 30 of his 56 pass attempts for 380 yards, a completion rate of just 53.6%. He has thrown for just two touchdowns against one interception.
In Week 3, Mayfield will have another tough challenge. The Saints currently only allow a 56.7% pass completion from opponent quarterbacks, the third-best mark in the league. New Orleans has allowed just a total of 403 yards through the air. Notably, despite the loss, the team forced Tom Brady to go 18 for 34 for just 190 yards and one touchdown last week.
Despite the bad results, Mayfield showed some flashes of his Heisman year. Against the Browns, he led the team to a late run, outscoring Cleveland 17-6 in the fourth quarter. It included a 75-yard passing touchdown to Robbie Anderson and a seven-yard carry that resulted in Mayfield's first rushing score in Panthers uniform.
Baker Mayfield's 75 yard TD against his former team!#CarolinaPanthers | #ClevelandBrowns pic.twitter.com/JbiywiVGEk
— Replay Realm (@replay_realm) September 11, 2022
This is probably a make-or-break game for Mayfield. Expectations were already high, but the pressure is certainly there following the bad results. Because of that, the quarterback will try to go off and prove he still belongs in the league. He might go for at least 250 passing yards and two touchdowns. Although not exactly impressive, it is already an improvement from the previous games.
1. It will be a one-score game
The Saints have been an interesting team so far in 2022. They contained Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to just 260 total yards. On the other hand, they allowed 416 total yards by the Atlanta Falcons. The team led by Marcus Mariota is expected to finish the season at the bottom of the rankings but still gave New Orleans a hard time.
Mariota is known as a run-first quarterback and was a problem to the Saints' defense. With Mayfield throwing and McCaffrey running the ball, the Panthers might use both players as an advantage. If the duo is on a good day, it might result on Carolina's first win after nine consecutive losses going back to 2021.
As of Friday morning, FanDuel currently has New Orleans as the favorite to win the contest. However, the spread is just -2.5. If that indicates something, the game is still wide open and every possession can change the story.
Because of that, expect it to be a very close game, with the final minutes becoming a must-see. It can go either way, but no team should win by more than one possession.
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