Panthers’ Super Bowl 53 Odds Take Big Hit After Loss to Redskins

• Carolina Panthers’ average Super Bowl 53 odds jumped from +2700 to +4100 after Sunday’s 23-17 loss to Washington
• At 3-2, Panthers are still the No. 5 seed in the NFC
• Carolina is one of seven NFC teams with a winning record

The sky isn’t falling, though you may have trouble convincing Carolina Panthers fans of that with the way their team’s odds of winning Super Bowl 53 have so quickly plummeted off a cliff.

(You have to flip to the Top 7 Contenders tab to see them in the graph below.)

Average Super Bowl 53 Odds

The Panthers average odds went from +2700 to +4100 after their Week 6 loss to the Washington Redskins. They still possess the seventh-shortest odds in the NFC, but it’s a much wider gap between them and the other six now.

Odds to Win Super Bowl 53

*Follow the link in the table to see odds for all 32 teams

Are the Panthers in Trouble After Week 6 Loss?

In the grand scheme of things, it certainly does appear to be a bit of an over reaction to a poor game.

Last week: Popped his shoulder back in.
This week: Averaged 5.7 yards per carry.@AdrianPeterson is ridiculous. #HTTR #CARvsWAS pic.twitter.com/Z27cIZh2ds

— NFL (@NFL) October 15, 2018

In the big picture, the Panthers are still well placed. As the No. 5 seed in the NFC, if the playoffs were to begin today, Carolina would be a postseason participant.

Note to #Panthers fans:

I dont care how close you think we are to the end of the world. There are still ONLY 2 teams in the conference with a better win pct. than @Panthers thru week 6. #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/HJrRD5wIHC

— ReGGie CHR🏈Me (@reggiechrome) October 15, 2018

The Panthers actually own a better record than three of the NFC teams currently being given better odds of winning Super Bowl 53  – the Vikings (3-2-1, +1200), Philadelphia Eagles (3-3, +1600), and Green Bay Packers (3-2-1, +2000).

Only three NFC teams have allowed fewer points than the 114 surrendered by the Panthers.

Why The Long Odds?

For starters, there’s the starting quarterback. The ever-mercurial Cam Newton has never consistently replicated the form that made him the NFL’s 2015 MVP as he led the Panthers to a 15-1 slate and a berth in Super Bowl 50.

Cam Newton is now 0-for-10 this year on passes that have traveled 20-plus yards past the line of scrimmage.

— Bill Voth (@BillVothNFL) October 14, 2018

Newton has embraced the inconsistency again this season. He sits 25th in the NFL in passing yardage (1,158), 18th in passer rating (93.2), and tied for 16th in touchdown passes (nine). Those numbers won’t win anybody’s Super Bowl.

With the game on the line Sunday and the ball on the Washington 16, Newton threw three straight incompletions.

The NFL’s fourth-best rushing team, opposing defenses are content to sell out to stop the Carolina run game, confident that Newton won’t beat them through the air.

Devin Funchess, the Panthers’ leading receiver, is ranked 45th in the NFL in receiving yards. Rookie receiver DJ Moore fumbled twice in Sunday’s loss, on his first touch of the game on a punt return, and then after his first catch of the day.

Are The Panthers Super?

The best team in the NFC? Seriously, folks, the Panthers aren’t even the best team in the NFC South.

Let’s face facts – the NFC is currently a two-horse race. There’s the Rams, there’s the Saints, and there’s a bunch of nags well up the track looking very much like nothing more than also-rans.

https://twitter.com/NewsChannel_NYC/status/1051730221794295808

The Panthers fit well into the mostly win-one, lose-one group populating the middle of the NFC.  Remember, one of their wins came via a Graham Gano game-winning 63-yard field goal.

It’s looking very much like a year where 9-7 might make a team postseason worthy.  The Panthers  could definitely be one of those playoff teams. But that’s as good as it will get for this mediocre, inconsistent squad.