Football odds on the Carolina Panthers saw a lot of things go right in 2008 until the playoffs when they lost to the Arizona Cardinals. The Panthers were 12-4 straight up last season and 9-6-1 against the sports betting number.
Football odds should be popular on Carolina again in 2009. The Panthers made very few changes in the off-season although they will miss cornerback Ken Lucas. They drafted two defensive players, Everette Brown and Sherrod Martin who they hope will help immediately.
Carolina finished 2008 as the 7th best team in terms of points scored as football odds stats show. The running game was exceptional with DeAngelo Williams and Jonathan Stewart. They combined for 28 touchdowns and more than 2,300 yards. Quarterback Jake Delhomme also had a solid year until the playoff game against Arizona when he was awful. Steve Smith had another solid year even though he missed the first two games of the season. Keeping Smith healthy and in the lineup is always a huge key for Carolina Panthers on offense.
The defense was 12th in the league in points allowed as football odds stats show. Defensive end Julius Peppers had a nice year with 14.5 sacks. The team was susceptible to the run as they were 20th in the league as football odds numbers show.
Head coach John Fox always seems to have the Panthers in the mix in the NFC and that should be the case again in 2009. The key for Carolina is getting strong play out of quarterback Jake Delhomme. He was solid in the regular season but simply horrible in the playoffs. The Panthers are committed to him though as he was signed to a long-team deal. With Williams and Stewart running the ball the passing game for Carolina doesn’t have to be great. They just have to avoid mistakes, something Delhomme has not done recently.
The defense is getting older for Carolina so they will need Jon Beason and Thomas Davis to continue their great play and they will need newcomers Everette Brown and Sherrod Martin to contribute immediately.
The Panthers are 25-1 in football odds to win Super Bowl XLIV. The Panthers play in a very competitive NFC South with New Orleans, Atlanta and Tampa Bay. Going 12-4 again in 2009 seems unlikely but Carolina should be in the playoff hunt and impact football odds at the sportsbook.