Carolina Panthers’ Chances of Winning Super Bowl 55 – Odds, Analysis, and Prediction

The Carolina Panthers moved on from a dying era in 2020. Ron Rivera was booted as head coach, Luke Kuechly retired, and Cam Newton was released.

Out with the old, and in with the new, am I right?

It’s the type of reaction expected by new ownership when things go off the rails, though. Newton couldn’t stay healthy, Rivera couldn’t survive that fact, and Carolina succumbed to an ugly 5-11 season.

Matt Rhule comes in to hopefully save the Panthers, while the team also signed Teddy Bridgewater and brought in former Jets speedster Robby Anderson.

Is this all enough to put the Panthers back in the playoff picture or even contend in 2020? The odds say no, but there is still an argument that Carolina could win it all this year.

Let’s take a look at those odds and play devil’s advocate as we assess Carolina’s 2020 prospects.

It’s pretty clear none of the reputable NFL betting sites peg the Panthers as a threat to win Super Bowl 55. My Bookie and Bovada give them the most credit, but bettors looking for some upside will head over to BetOnline or SportsBetting.ag.

Of course, that’s if you believe the Panthers have a chance.

The crazy amount of turnover Carolina is forced to endure makes their case a tough sell, after all. Regardless, anytime you have long odds like this, you need to turn over every stone before banishing it to the seas.

With that, here’s a look at both sides of Carolina’s Super Bowl plight.

It all starts with Christian McCaffrey, who could easily be the NFL MVP  if things break his way. The Panthers have to win first, and then if he can have a season a little better than his last, he’ll have a shot.

That is what absolutely needs to happen, just to get things going, of course.

C-Mac is good enough to again be a monster and be responsible for a good chunk of wins, though. Teddy Bridgewater would simply need to do the rest.

People tend to forget that he was a franchise passer in the making before a gruesome knee injury ended his Minnesota career. He reminded everyone of that when he went 5-0 as a starter last year for the Saints.

Defensively, Carolina still has the tools to be a strong unit, and they just added a menace up front in Derrick Brown. If these things all work together, Carolina can keep the dream alive.

It’s all quite a bit to ask. I have zero doubts that Christian McCaffrey will keep crushing skulls. He might even break some records.

But we saw firsthand last year that he can’t do it all on his own. Bridgewater needs to elevate this offense, not just get it by. He’s an upgrade over Kyle Allen, but it’s worth wondering by how much.

Rhule is a first-year head coach that clearly needs to prove himself, too. And while this Panthers defense has talent, it is far from proven.

Losing franchise legends like Rivera, Newton, and Kuechly in the span of one year is insanely damaging. It’d be fitting for the Panthers to win it all the second they depart, but far from likely.

In short, no. Carolina has a lot of nice pieces. Rhule looks to be a sound head coach, C-Mac gives them instant offense, and Bridgewater is a very good game-manager who may still be underrated.

The defense is good, but not great.

Everything needs to (and eventually will) come together, but demanding it all click in year one of this new era is asking too much.

I haven’t even touched on my 2020 NFC South betting preview, which doesn’t really shed a positive light on this franchise. Don’t get me wrong; I like where Carolina is going, and they might win more in 2020 than they did in 2019.

They’re just not winning the dang Super Bowl, is all.