The Carolina Panthers (0-1) and Arizona Cardinals (1-0) meet in NFL Week 2 action on Sunday, Sept. 14. Panthers vs Cardinals kickoff is set for 4:05 p.m. ET from State Farm Stadium in Glendale, Ariz.; the game will be broadcast on CBS.
The Cardinals are favored by 6.5-to-7 points on the spread; the over/under is set at 44.5 total points. The Cardinals are -300 moneyline favorites and the Panthers are +240 to pull off the upset.
Let's get into my Panthers vs Cardinals predictions and pick for Sunday.
Panthers vs Cardinals Prediction
- Panthers vs Cardinals pick: Panthers +7
My Panthers vs Cardinals best bet is the Panthers +7. Make sure to find the best odds by checking our live NFL odds page.
Panthers vs Cardinals Odds
| Panthers Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
+6.5 -105 | 44.5 -105o / -115u | +240 |
| Cardinals Odds | ||
|---|---|---|
| Spread | Total | Moneyline |
-6.5 -115 | 44.5 -105o / -115u | -300 |
Panthers vs Cardinals NFL Week 2 Preview
This is one of the uglier games of the Sunday slate (and one featuring two of the smallest quarterbacks in Bryce Young and Kyler Murray), but I really like the Panthers catching a touchdown on the spread in this spot.
The Panthers are 15-6 against the Cardinals all time; Carolina is 6-2 in its road games against Arizona as well.
When these teams played last season, Chuba Hubbard rushed for 152 yards and two touchdowns, and Young threw for two touchdowns and rushed for another.
We're getting a big number here for the Panthers because they were waxed by the Jaguars in Week 1.
Bryce Young wasn't able to carry over his second-half play from last season, going just 18-for-35 passing for 154 yards and two interceptions and a lost fumble (with one touchdown). This is a tough sell because it seems like the Panthers are devoid of talent at the moment, but that's buying us nearly a touchdown on the spread.
You don't want to overreact to results from Week 1. Remember, everyone was out on Young early last season before his resurgence. I absolutely think that the Panthers are the play here and I'm buying low.
Also, the Cardinals didn't exactly impress last week against one of the worst teams in the league in the Saints. New Orleans managed to hang around and kept the game reasonably close.
Panthers vs Cardinals Prediction, Betting Analysis
The Cardinals have struggled with this matchup since 2015, going just 1-6 straight up and against the spread against the Cardinals. Interestingly, the over is also 6-1 in those games.
There's also a system on Bet Labs that supports the Panthers in this spot.
The system "Small Bad Away Dogs" captures how teams that were poor in the previous season but enter the new year as underdogs on the road or at neutral sites often exceed expectations when the spread is modest.
Teams with few wins from the prior year — like the Panthers — are usually overlooked by both oddsmakers and bettors, yet these squads can show meaningful improvement with roster changes, draft additions, or coaching adjustments.
Being priced as small underdogs rather than large ones suggests the market already sees potential, but not enough to account for the motivational edge and element of surprise that these teams often bring.
Playing in the regular season, when effort is high and opportunities to reset a narrative are strongest, creates a profitable window where small underdogs with bad histories prove to be undervalued and capable of covering spreads consistently.
Pick: Panthers +7; bet to +6.5
Spread
The pick for this game is the Panthers +7.
Moneyline
While I have a lot of conviction on the Panthers to cover the spread, I'm shying away from their moneyline.
Over/Under
I have no bet for the game total.
