Panthers early favorites against Cowboys; For the first time since 2022

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – Barring a dramatic late move in the betting line, the Carolina Panthers will clinch victory on Sunday for the first time since Week 15 of the 2022 season, in which they hosted the Dallas Cowboys.

That would end a streak of 33 straight games as underdogs, the sixth-longest streak since the merger in 1970 and the longest streak in franchise history. It’s the Jaguars’ longest drought since 2012-14.

According to ESPN BET, the Panthers (3-10) are 2-point favorites against the Cowboys (5-8). If the spread holds, it would be the first time they have been favored since December 18, 2022, when they were 3-point favorites at home against the Pittsburgh Steelers.

They lost to the Steelers 24-16.

Carolina is well on its way to countering the spread and has snapped the longest active streak in the NFL at five straight games. In Sunday’s 22:16 loss, they finished as 13.5-point underdogs against the Philadelphia Eagles.

A big reason was the recent play of quarterback Bryce Young, the top pick in the 2023 draft.

Young’s Total QBR (60.0) ranks 13th in the NFL as of Week 9, ahead of Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, Washington’s Jayden Daniels, Denver’s Bo Nix, Philadelphia’s Jalen Hurts and the other quarterbacks in the NFC South, to name a few to name.

That’s a big jump from Young’s NFL-worst QBR of 9.9 in the first two games, which resulted in him being benched in favor of Andy Dalton.

If Young and the Panthers stay as favorites against Dallas and protect themselves, it will be the first time they have done so since September 23, 2021, when they beat the Houston Texans 24-9 as 9-point favorites.