After a roller-coaster first half of the season, the Carolina Panthers are now set for a Week 10 road clash with the NFC-leading Arizona Cardinals.

The Panthers are just coming off of one of their more forgettable performances of the year in Week 9 with the 24-6 home loss to the New England Patriots. From the turnovers on offense to the inability to string together a single touchdown drive, it was a showing that surely must have been scrutinized from top to bottom by head coach Matt Rhule over the past week.

For more insight on the Panthers' Week 10 matchup against the Cardinals, listen below:

On the other side, the Cardinals are being deemed as one of the favorites to make a Super Bowl run following their 8-1 start to the year. Even amid multiple injury concerns on both sides of the ball, the Cardinals simply continue to pick up convincing wins by the week.

While the Panthers come into this contest as heavy underdogs, they must achieve each of these four feats in order to give themselves a fighting chance against the current NFC West leaders.

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Carolina Panthers Week 10 Predictions 

4. Brian Burns extends his sack streak to four games

While the Panthers have had a lowly start to the season on the offensive side of the ball, the defense has had a multitude of players step up their game.

For one, defensive end Brian Burns has wreaked havoc against multiple offensive line units this season. He ranks second on the team in sacks (6.0) and quarterback hits (10).

Burns has been dealing with a foot injury as of late. If he goes on to feature in this contest, look for him to pick up at least half a sack for the fourth straight game.

3. Robby Anderson posts a standout performance

If there is one player who is in dire need of a potent outing against the Cardinals, it sure is wide receiver Robby Anderson.

The sixth-year wideout has failed to form stout chemistry with quarterback Sam Darnold as of late due to the mere 27 total receiving yards recorded in Carolina's last four games. Even with Anderson's speed off of the line of scrimmage coupled with his prowess as a route-runner, Darnold still has not had much success in opening up the field with keen downfield throws to him.

Darnold will not feature for Carolina in Week 10 due to his nagging shoulder injury. And while the team signed Cam Newton on Thursday, P.J. Walker is on par to start in this upcoming clash with the Cardinals.

At the least, Walker should look for Anderson in the short passing game, whether in screen plays or slants in the middle of the field.

2. Stephon Gilmore once again shines in coverage

The Panthers' move to bring in cornerback Stephon Gilmore from the New England Patriots has surely been paying off.

Gilmore has so far recorded two interceptions to go along with a potent 11.7 passer rating allowed in coverage through two games played with Carolina this year.

Whether it will be against A.J. Green or Christian Kirk, look for Gilmore to showcase that he still has plenty left in the tank at this point in his career. And he sure has what it takes to do just that.

1. Panthers score 30-plus points for the first time this season

As was exemplified last week, anything is possible in the NFL.

Even with a backup quarterback under center coupled with the team’s notable struggles on third down, the Panthers should surprise many and score 30-plus points for the first time this season. This would be quite a feat considering that the Cardinals currently rank at third in the league in points per game allowed with a 17.2 average.

An upset win for the Panthers in Week 10 would move them back to the .500 mark with a 5-5 record. Considering that multiple other NFC teams are now beginning to turn around their seasons at this point in the year, the Panthers sure need to string together a lengthy winning streak in order to get back into the playoff picture in the conference.

As touched on, it certainly will now come down to Carolina's offense to lead the charge for the remainder of the campaign. Carolina's pass defense has been leading the way as of late with crucial stops and timely turnovers. Whether it will be Newton or any of the other three quarterbacks on the roster, the offense surely must turn around its sluggish play as of late and revert back to its early season success.