Cat Scratch Reader
Derek Anderson is not on this roster
Welcome to our weekly game pick series where I will attempt to guide you through picking every Carolina Panthers game of the 2024 season. At this point you know I'm not picking the Panthers and no amount of serious analysis of the team is going to change my mind or surprise any of us. They are who they are.
Some weeks, this team kind of shows up. See the games against the Cincinnati Bengals and the Atlanta Falcons as reference. Other weeks, well, are different.
This week is going to be different. Not least of all because Bryce Young is set to start for the first time since the Week 2 home opener against the Los Angeles Chargers. That's not due to Young's development or Andy Dalton's recent struggles. Instead, the quarterback change is due to the presumptive starter having been in a car accident.
The last time that kind of event preciptated a late season rally behind Derek Anderson and Cam Newton to end the season 7-8-1 with a playoff berth to boot.
This week is going to be different than that, too. Anderson is not on this roster. His replacement on this roster was the one in the car accident and the former number one overall pick at quarterback is no prime Newton
So, in a way, this week isn't going to be different. The Panthers are going to struggle. They will be at an obvious talent deficit and likely well out of the game by the end of the first quarter.
That’s why my FanDuel pick for Week 8 is the Denver Broncos. My pick every week is going to be whoever the Panthers opponent is until something changes. Dalton having a non-football related injury does not count. My bet on the first significant change is the season. We’ll challenge that bet in 2025.
