CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Barring a dramatic move late on the betting line, the Carolina Panthers will likely win Sunday for the first time since Week 15 of the 2022 season against the Dallas Cowboys.
This ends a 33-game streak as an underdog, the sixth longest since the 1970 merger and the longest in franchise history. This is the longest drought for the Jaguars since 2012-14.
According to ESPN BET, the Panthers (3-10) are a two-point favorite over the Cowboys (5-8). If this spread holds, it will be the first since Dec. 18, 2022, when they were 3-point favorites at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
They lost to the Steelers 24-16.
Carolina continues to perform well, covering five games in a row, the longest active streak in the NFL. On Sunday, they lost 22-16 to the Philadelphia Eagles, trailing by 13.5 points.
A big reason is the recent play of quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft.
Young’s total QBR (60.0) since Week 9 ranks 13th in the NFL, behind Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Washington’s Jaden Daniels, Denver’s Bo Nix, and Philadelphia’s to name a few. That’s better than Jalen Hurts and every other QB in the NFC South.
That’s a huge improvement from Young’s NFL-worst 9.9 QBR in his first two games on the bench in place of Andy Dalton.
If Young and the Panthers can maintain their advantage and cover against Dallas, it will be the first time since Sept. 23, 2021, when they defeated the Houston Texans 24-9 as a nine-point favorite. It will be.
