Carolina Panthers vs Arizona Cardinals Pick and Prediction, Sunday, September 14th, 2025
The Cardinals are looking to start the season 2-0 as they host the Carolina Panthers on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. EST in State Farm Stadium. Check out our Carolina Panthers vs Arizona Cardinals pick and prediction here!
Carolina is currently 0-1 to start the year. Playoff ambitions may be a bit of a reach, but the biggest thing they are hoping for is to see an improvement from Bryce Young, who seemed to have turned it around last year. Meanwhile, the Arizona Cardinals are 1-0 in a low-key, tough division. These teams met last December with the Panthers getting the upset 36-30 at home. For years, fans have been wondering if the Cardinals can really make some noise and if Kyler Murray is the guy. This is the year they need to prove it. The Cardinals are favored by six points, and the total is set at 44.5 points. Can the Panthers surprise with an upset win on the road?
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Can Carolina Climb Out of the Basement?
Carolina fell to the Jaguars by a score of 26-10 in their latest contest. Bryce Young did not look great, going 18/35 for 154 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Chubba Hubbard led the ground game with 57 yards on 16 carries and Tetairoa McMillan was the leading receiver with 68 yards and five catches. Hubbard caught the lone TD reception as well. On the defensive side, Tre'von Moehrig led the way with seven tackles and four tackle assists while Jaycee Horn managed to grab an interception on the day.
Carolina had a bit of a roller coaster last season, from panic early on after Bryce Young struggled, to a bit of hope after he did well towards the end of the season. Overall, he completed 60.9% of his passes for 2,403 yards, 15 touchdowns, and nine interceptions. Andy Dalton was a stopgap option when Young got benched, and he threw for 989 yards, seven touchdowns, and six interceptions with a 66.3% completion percentage. Chuba Hubbard was the primary running back with 1,195 yards and ten touchdowns on 250 carries. Bryce Young had six rushing touchdowns of his own as well. Adam Thielen was the leading receiver last year, but he has since departed to Minnesota. Carolina is hoping McMillan can step up as an elite receiver for Young and the others can produce behind him. Xavier Legette was the leading receiver last year among players still on the roster with 497 yards on 49 receptions and four touchdowns. Carolina was 30th through the air, 18th on the ground, and 23rd in overall scoring with an average of 20.1 points per game.
Defensively, Xavier Woods was the only player on the Panthers to secure over 100 total tackles with 119. A'Shawn Robinson and Jadeveon Clowney had the most sacks with 5.5 each, but Clowney is now a free agent. It will be up to others to step up to replace that level of production. Mike Jackson led the secondary with 17 passes defended and Jaycee Horn was the only other Panther to reach double-digits with 13. Woods had the most interceptions with three and Jackson was the only other player with multiple interceptions on the year. Overall, Carolina ranked 23rd against the pass, dead last against the run, and dead last in points against per game with an average of 31.4. As much as Young and the offense need to improve, the defense also needs to show some semblance of improvement.
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Arizona All in on Kyler
Despite the final score, Arizona earned a comfortable if not pretty win against the Saints by a score of 20-13. Kyler Murray went 21/29 for 163 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Trey Benson led the way on the ground with eight carries for 69 yards and Marvin Harrison Jr. led the receiving core with a touchdown and 71 yards on five catches. Trey McBride caught a team-high six passes, and James Connor caught the other TD pass. Budda Baker had five tackles and five tackle assists to lead the team, while Baron Browning recorded the only sack on the day for the Cardinals.
Kyler Murray is looking to improve upon his numbers from last year while also making a run in the playoffs. Last year, the QB had a 68.8% completion percentage for 3,851 yards, 21 touchdowns, and 11 interceptions. James Connor led the running back department with 236 carries for 1,094 yards and eight touchdowns. Trey McBride was the leading receiver for Arizona last season with 111 receptions and 1,146 yards. Marvin Harrison Jr. will look to make a second-year leap as he recorded 62 receptions for 885 yards with a team-high eight touchdowns. Last year, the Cardinals were 18th through the air, 7th on the ground, and 12th in overall scoring with 23.5 points per game. Kyler Murray will have to step up if the Cardinals want to play football after the regular season.
On the defensive side of the ball, Budda Baker led the team with 164 total tackles, including 95 solo tackles. Kyzir White was the only defender to reach 100+ tackles as well. Zaven Collins had the most sacks on the squad with five and Dante Still trailed closely behind with 4.5 of his own. Five others had at least three sacks on the year, providing decent depth. Garrett Williams had the most passes defended with nine and Sean-Murphy Bunting had the most picks on the season with three. Overall, the Cardinals ranked 15th in scoring defense with an average of 22.3 points against per game, 20th against the run, and 14th against the pass. If the Cardinals want to make noise in January, they need to become a top-ten defense at the very least.
Panthers vs Cardinals Pick
Spread Pick for Panthers vs Cardinals
- Cardinals -6 (5 units)
Even though the Cardinals won by only seven points against the Saints, they should be able to take care of the Panthers at home. Bryce Young is still a wild card, and the receiving core is highlighted by a rookie who played his first game on Sunday. It will take time for Carolina to develop chemistry on the offensive side of the ball whereas Arizona has been playing together for a couple of years now with Connor, Murray, and McBride. The defense of Carolina also leads me to have more confidence in the Cardinals, as they showed little to no signs of improvement from their performance last season. The Cardinals should be able to take control by the third quarter and eventually keep the ball on the ground, scoring more and more as the defense gets tired.
Over/Under Pick for Panthers vs Cardinals
- Over 44.5 (4 units)
The Cardinals will want to show that they are better than their lackluster performance against the Saints. I expect them to take advantage of a suspect defense that gave up 30+ points per game last season. Additionally, I expect Bryce Young to try to prove himself this game, looking for more chances to throw the ball. I have confidence that the Panthers will score more than ten points like they did against the Jaguars, and the Cardinals should score 27+ points if all goes to plan.
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