CAROLINA PANTHERS

2012 Odds:
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Odds to Win NFC South: 4/1
Odds to Win NFC Championship: 20/1
Odds to Win Super Bowl XLVII: 50/1
Regular Season Wins Over/Under: 7.5

2012 Preview:
Offense:
While the Panthers are extremely run-heavy, that shouldn’t be confused with being conservative. Offensive coordinator Rob Chudzinski implemented a unique running game that is traditional about two-thirds of the time, with the rest of the playbook being option plays for Cam Newton. Their running back rotation is tough to figure out, as last year DeAngelo Williams started, Jonathan Stewart played more reps, but Williams had more carries. The Panthers insist that Mike Tolbert will primarily be a fullback, though he’ll surely play in some single-back sets. The Panthers are content to let Newton create in the red zone, as he was by far their most often-used weapon deep in opponent territory (10 more red-zone carries than Carolina’s running backs combined).

Chudzinski’s offense is rooted in the big play, which is why it suits Newton so well. Besides giving him some space to improvise, Newton’s first read is almost always Steve Smith downfield, and he’ll force throws to him. While Brandon LaFell became more involved in the offense, especially after overtaking Legedu Naanee late in the year, Newton rarely got past his second read, which was to come down to Greg Olsen in the middle of the field or whichever back is in the game. Expect LaFell to be more involved as Newton grows more comfortable running the offense in his second NFL season.

Defense:
Carolina ranked 27th in scoring defense and 28th in total defense in 2011, and still needs a ton of work. But selecting LB tackling machine Luke Kuechly ninth overall was a nice upgrade—with Kuechly and Jon Beason at linebacker, Charles Johnson will be freed up to do what he does best, which is rush the quarterback. Expect at least a dozen sacks and an uptick in tackles this coming season. Also expect more from Greg Hardy, who saw a rise in his tackle numbers from 2010 to ’11, and his sack total should jump with Carolina expected to abandon the hybrid 3-4 the team employed at times last year. Beason will likely play the weak side, as he did in 2010. Charles Godfrey, who has excellent range for a strong safety, should once again anchor the secondary.

Key Offseason Moves:
ADDITIONS
RB Mike Tolbert (from Chargers)
WR Louis Murphy (from Raiders)
C Mike Pollak (from Colts)
OT Bruce Campbell (from Raiders)
LB Kenny Onatolu (from Vikings)
S Haruki Nakamura (from Ravens)
S Reggie Smith (from 49ers)
P Nick Harris (from Jaguars)

SUBTRACTIONS
RB Mike Goodson (Raiders)
WR Legedu Naanee (Dolphins)
OT Jeff Otah (released)
OT Geoff Schwartz (Vikings)
G Mackenzy Bernadeau (Cowboys)
OL Travelle Wharton (Bengals)
LB Omar Gaither (Texans)
LB Dan Connor (Cowboys)
P Jason Baker (released)

2012 Schedule:
2012 Schedule Strength: 20.25 (16th toughest in NFL)
Week 1 - at Tampa Bay
Week 2 - New Orleans
Week 3 - New York Giants
Week 4 - at Atlanta
Week 5 - Seattle
Week 6 - BYE WEEK
Week 7 - Dallas
Week 8 - at Chicago
Week 9 - at Washington
Week 10 - Denver
Week 11 - Tampa Bay
Week 12 - at Philadelphia
Week 13 - at Kansas City
Week 14 - Atlanta
Week 15 - at San Diego
Week 16 - Oakland
Week 17 - at New Orleans

StatFox Take: The Panthers may have an average schedule in terms of opponents’ 2011 records, but there doesn’t seem to be many games that they’ll be favored to win. Out-of-division road trips versus the Bears, Eagles, Chargers will be particularly difficult, and the home schedule doesn’t afford many easy games either, with the Giants, Cowboys and Broncos landing in Charlotte. Although Cam Newton’s NFL future is very bright, the Panthers defense will have a hard time stopping all of the other top-flight quarterbacks on the 2012 schedule.
Prediction: UNDER 7.5 wins (+140)

All NFL Previews

AFC North
Baltimore Ravens
Cincinnati Bengals
Cleveland Browns
Pittsburgh Steelers

AFC South
Houston Texans
Indianapolis Colts
Jacksonville Jaguars
Tennessee Titans

AFC West
Denver Broncos
Kansas City Chiefs
Oakland Raiders
San Diego Chargers

NFC East
Dallas Cowboys
New York Giants
Philadelphia Eagles
Washington Redskins

NFC North
Chicago Bears
Detroit Lions
Green Bay Packers
Minnesota Vikings

NFC South
Atlanta Falcons
Carolina Panthers
New Orleans Saints - Monday, August 27
Tampa Bay Buccaneers - Tuesday, August 28

NFC West
Arizona Cardinals - Wednesday, August 29
San Francisco 49ers - Thursday, August 30
Seattle Seahawks - Friday, August 31
St. Louis Rams - Saturday, September 1