After a dismal 2023 season, the Carolina Panthers entered Sundayâs NFL season opener at New Orleans thinking the only way to go was up. However, by the end of the 47-10 thrashing by the Saints, quarterback Bryce Young and the team looked very much like the same squad that ended last year 2-15. Our Carolina Panthers betting guide gives wagering-related insights.
Young finished the day with an anemic 13-of-30 passing for 161 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions. He had a rushing touchdown, but that was late in the third quarter when the Saints were ahead 37-3. All in all, the second-year QB and the offense gained just 193 yards and 11 first downs against what many consider to be a solid but not spectacular Saints defense.
Carolinaâs front office gave up a ton to draft the former Heisman Trophy winner from Alabama with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 draft. That trade with the Bears included the 2023 No. 9 and 61 picks, this yearâs first-round pick (which became the No. 1 overall selection) and a second-rounder next year. Oh, and they threw in receiver D.J. Moore. In return, Young produced one of the worst seasons for a rookie quarterback in recent memory.
At BetCarolina.com, your source for North Carolina sports betting news, we wanted to know which QBs over the past 10 years had the worst rookie season. We based our rankings on each playerâs approximate value, completion percentage and passing yards from each playerâs first NFL season. Using FootballDB.com, we found all quarterbacks drafted within the top five picks of the first round over since 2014. We used Pro-Football-Reference.com to find the rookie year statistics.
Rank | Name | Total Score |
1 | Trey Lance | 41 |
2 | Anthony Richardson | 38 |
3 | Zach Wilson | 37 |
T4 | Mitchell Trubisky | 28 |
T4 | Sam Darnold | 28 |
T4 | Blake Bortles | 28 |
7 | Tua Tagovailoa | 27 |
8 | Bryce Young | 24 |
9 | Marcus Mariota | 20 |
10 | Trevor Lawrence | 19 |
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Itâs worth pointing out a couple things here. Goff, Lance and Richardson all played less than half a season as rookies, which kept cumulative stats like AV and yardage down. Of the remaining quarterbacks in the (not-so) top 10, only Young and Lawrence started 16 or more games in their debut seasons.
Goff, Lawrence and Trubisky all followed up their dismal rookie seasons by leading their teams to the playoffs in Year 2. Tagovailoa and the Dolphins didnât reach the postseason, but he led them on a remarkable second-half comeback, going from a 1-7 start to a 9-8 overall mark.
Few people came into this season thinking Young would match those feats â much less improve the Carolina Panthers playoff chances â and the team does not have a lot of talented players at skill positions to help him. Still, considering Young went ahead of Houston quarterback C.J. Stroud, last yearâs Offensive Rookie of the Year who led the Texans to the playoffs, there are a lot of Panthers fans wondering if the team made the right pick.
With 16 games over the next 17 weeks, thereâs still plenty of time for Young and the Panthers to right the ship. However, North Carolina sports betting apps operators clearly have their doubts.
BetMGM has Young priced at +30000 to win the NFL MVP trophy this season. Thatâs not the longest odds on the board, but BetMGM also offers Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix and Arizona Cardinals practice squad QB Desmond Ridder at the same price.
The Panthers have their home opener next Sunday at 1 p.m. and host the Los Angeles Chargers. The Chargers have some questions surrounding them, but oddsmakers at DraftKings North Carolina Sportsbook have made the Panthers a 6.5-point underdog for Week 2. No other home team is getting that many points.
At bet365, the Panthers have the highest odds of any team to make the playoffs in January. Bettors receive odds of +1200, an implied probability of 7.7%, on Carolina either winning the NFC South or earning one of the conferenceâs three Wild Card berths. The odds against the team are -3000, which implies a 96.8% chance they will once again miss out on the postseason.
As for Sundayâs game against their foes from the West Coast, see our Panthers vs. Chargers odds page to compare operators for spread, moneyline and over/under betting.
USA Today photo by Stephen Lew
Author
As a writer and analyst for BetCarolina.com, Steve not only covers gaming news and developments in North Carolina but also provides insights into what they mean for bettors, licensed operators and the state. A veteran journalist with 25 years of experience covering sports, politics and business, Steve has reported on the gambling industry intently over the past five years.
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