Regardless, the Carolina Panthers were terrible last season.
They got the No. 1 overall pick and deserved it. Of course, they had already traded that pick to the Chicago Bears. They went 2-15 and their two wins came by a total of four points. They were outscored by 180 points.
And yet the Panthers are the only team whose win total has changed in a positive direction this offseason.
The Panthers’ win total at BetMGM started at 4.5, the lowest opening total in the NFL. It seemed an unlikely team to be favorite among punters this season, but a move on the over took the win total to 5.5.
The Panthers, the worst team in the NFL last season, are the only team to increase their win total by a win this offseason.
Panthers get over bets
The Panthers are the third most popular bet by number of tickets. The Steelers’ over of 7.5 and the Bears’ over of 8.5 have received more bets at BetMGM.
But the Panthers’ line was moving. That’s important because oddsmakers don’t like to move win totals after they’ve been set. There is too much concern about the fact that many bettors have more than 4.5 tickets, other bettors have less than 5.5 tickets, and if that team wins exactly five games, everyone wins.
Part of the Panthers move is the low opening total. It’s rare for a team to have such a low win total and then go under. It’s not too much to ask an NFL team to win five games, even one that was easily the worst team in the league last season.
And there’s reason to believe the Panthers could be better. First of all, they can’t be much worse. There is also optimism about new coach Dave Canales, who had a good season last season as the offensive coordinator of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Maybe he can help Bryce Young like he helped Baker Mayfield last season. The Panthers have also made several additions in free agency, especially on the offensive line.
The Panthers are still at the bottom of the NFL heap. But many bettors just want the Panthers to win 5-12.
Panthers don’t have the lowest win total
There is also only one team whose win total dropped in the offseason. Those are the New England Patriots, who went from 5.5 to 4.5 at BetMGM. The Patriots now have the lowest win total on the board.
Maybe the Panthers won’t be the worst team in the NFL anymore. Their offseason additions include $153 million in contracts for guards Robert Hunt and Damien Lewis, just over $71 million for defensive linemen A’Shawn Robinson, Jadeveon Clowney and DJ Wonnum and linebacker Josey Jewell and a trade to the former Pittsburgh Steelers receiver Diontae Johnson. They also managed to get back into the first round of the NFL Draft, taking receiver Xavier Legette at 32nd overall. Young didn’t have much help as a rookie, but the Panthers took steps to fix that before his season.
The Panthers still have the longest odds to win the Super Bowl at BetMGM at 250 to 1. That’s OK for Carolina-loving bettors. They are only looking for a moderate improvement.
