The expert picks are in and the consensus is the Carolina Panthers don’t have much of a chance in tomorrow’s game against the Arizona Cardinals. With Cam Newton ruled out, Kawann Short questionable and the team already 0-2 heading into this week, it’s not hard to see why most analysts are picking against them.
However, there is at least one reason for Carolina fans to feel confident going into this matchup: historically the Panthers have performed well against rookie quarterbacks. According to the team’s stat guru Will Bryan, first-year QBs have a record of 6-13 against Carolina since 2011 and have thrown more interceptions than touchdowns.
Then again, Kyler Murray is not your average rookie quarterback. He was the No. 1 overall pick in this year’s draft and his talent has been evident. Murray’s best characteristic is the touch he shows on deep passes, most of which have gone to Larry Fitzgerald or Christian Kirk.
Murray is also about as fast as quarterbacks come. In his junior season at Oklahoma, he totaled 1,001 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on just 140 carries.
As for Carolina’s QB situation, the Panthers will be starting Arizona native Kyle Allen, who was actually Murray’s teammate in college at one point at Texas A&M. Allen beat Murray for that quarterback job before Murray transferred.
