Ahead of the Carolina Panthers Week 6 matchup with the defending champion Los Angeles Rams, the franchise dominated national NFL headlines. Unfortunately, it was for all the wrong reasons as owner David Tepper fired coach Matt Rhule. Life in the NFL keeps moving, though, so ahead of Panthers-Rams, here are some bold Panthers predictions.
Rhule coached just 38 games for Carolina and posted an 11-27 record doing it. Now Tepper has to figure out what the plan is moving forward, and that starts with evaluating all the players on the roster and all the coaches on staff starting Sunday vs. the Rams.
On the Rams' side, the Super Bowl champs are struggling is far in 2022. The team is 2-3 and has lost its last two consecutive games vs. NFC opponents. If Sean McVay and company hope to get back to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl, the team needs to win this game.
Will the Rams run roughshod over a reeling Panthers squad? Or will Carolina be so happy to be free of Rhule’s rule that interim head coach Steve Wilks and backup quarterback P.J. Walker turn it up to get the W? To help answer these questions, let’s make some bold Panthers Week 6 predictions.
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4. The Panthers defense will lead the charge against Matthew Stafford
New interim head coach Steve Wilks, unlike Matt Rhule, comes from the defensive side of the ball. He was the Panthers’ secondary and defensive pass game coordinator prior to his battlefield promotion.
Wilks will want to lead with defense, and that’s the right call because of his team and the team he’s playing.
The Panthers defense hasn’t been awful this season, or at least not as bad as the offense.
The unit ranks 20th in scoring defense and 19th in yards allowed. However, against the pass, the D is slightly better. Carolina is 17th in passing yards allowed. They are also in the middle of the pack in terms of QB hurries and knockdowns and 12th in passes defended.
All this will come in handy against Matthew Stafford, who is tied for the league lead with seven interceptions already, and the Rams, who are 27th in passing yards and 32nd in rushing yards.
Malik Hooker comes up with the huge INT for the @DallasCowboys 🔥
📺: #DALvsLAR on FOX
📱: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/dCuo7DIlNd pic.twitter.com/J6Jh14Nakq— NFL (@NFL) October 9, 2022
The bold Panthers Week 6 prediction here is that the Panthers defense under Wilks and interim defensive coordinator Al Holcomb (Tepper also fired DC Phil Snow), will frustrate the Rams on Sunday.
3. Backup QB P.J. Walker will make history vs. the Rams
The Panthers haven’t officially ruled out QB Baker Mayfield with his foot injury for Sunday, but Steve Wilks told the media on Friday that P.J. Walker will be the starter in the Panthers Week 6 matchup, per NFL.com.
Walker has played in 10 NFL games in his two-plus seasons in the NFL and has completed 73 of 128 passes (57%) for 790 yards with two touchdowns and eight interceptions. These numbers aren’t great. However, he is 2-0 as a starter.
.@pjwalker_5 throws his first career touchdown to @CurtisSamuel4__! #KeepPounding
📺: #DETvsCAR on FOX
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/dGRXeByfnl pic.twitter.com/mbQUnN7vKJ— NFL (@NFL) November 22, 2020
The former Temple Owls QB won one game as a starter in 2020 and one game in 2021. If he wins his third in 2022, Walker will join an interesting yet historic group of journeyman NFL QBs who’ve won their first three starts in three different seasons, per NFL.com.
The three players who accomplished this feat before are John Stofa (Dolphins and Bengals, 1966-68), Jeff Hostetler (Giants 1988-90), and Jason Garrett (Cowboys, 1993-98).
P.J. Walker would fit nicely with this group, which is why his third win is one of the bold Pathers Week 6 predictions.
2. The new coach bump is real
Outside of defense and history, why will the Panthers get the win over the Rams in Week 6? Because the new coach bump is real.
The new coach bump isn’t just an NFL thing. It is a sports thing.
When a coach gets fired mid-season — especially a losing coach who everyone knew was going to get fired for weeks — the team has one week of rejuvenation before (usually) crashing back down to earth.
This renewed spirit doesn’t always result in a win, but it often does. It happened as recently as 2020 in the NFL when it happened twice. The Houston Texans fired Bill O’Brien after an 0-4 start, and the team promptly beat the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 5. And after Week 5, when the Atlanta Falcons fired Dan Quinn, the team beat the Minnesota Vikings in Week 6.
It also happened in 2019 when the Washington Commanders fired an 0-5 Jay Gruden and beat the Miami Dolphins the next week. We could keep going, but you get the point.
The new coach bump is real, and the Panthers in Week 6 will see exactly how real it is.
1. Panthers 17, Rams 10
The new coach bump may be real, but it often doesn’t last long.
In the Panthers Week 6 game vs. the Rams, Carolina will win because they are both fired up and relieved to be done with the Matt Rhule Era. And because the Rams are struggling with Matthew Stafford showing his true colors and the lack of draft picks finally catching up with the organizational depth.
This will move the Panthers to 2-4 but don’t be surprised if they end the season 2-15.
With the new coach bump examples above, the Texans went 3-8 after their big new coach win, while the Falcons went 3-7, and Washington went 2-8.
That’s why the final bold Panthers Week 6 prediction here is a long-term one. The Panthers will beat the Rams on Sunday for their final win of the 2022 season.
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