The Panthers are back at home this week after a two-game road trip that saw them come away with two wins. On Sunday, they host the Jaguars, who will be bringing a two-game winning streak of their own into Bank of America Stadium.
Let’s take a look at who the experts are picking for this matchup.
USA Today: Panthers
Six of seven experts at USA Today are picking Carolina to win this one.
ESPN: Panthers
Eight out of 10 experts at ESPN are also picking the Panthers.
NFL.com: Panthers
Gregg Rosenthal at NFL.com has this as his sneaky good game of the week. He’s predicting a 23-19 victory for Carolina.
Bleacher Report: Panthers
Two out of three experts at B/R are going with the Panthers this week.
SB Nation: Jaguars
Jacksonville finally gets some love at SB Nation, where six out of their 10 experts are picking the Jags.
Pro Football Focus: Split
It’s an even split at PFF, with four picking the Panthers and four picking the Jaguars.
This is probably going to be one of the tougher games of the season to predict. Home field advantage counts for something, but Carolina’s injury report is extremely troubling. Eight players did not participate in practice on Thursday, and they’re relatively important contributors. Greg Little’s concussion symptoms in particular is a grim development given the team’s issues at left tackle.
That said, this defense has been a tremendous surprise. I think they’ll find a way to pull it off a third-straight win. Panthers 30, Jaguars 24.
