There have been 179 days between when the Seattle Seahawks were crowned Super Bowl champions and when the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals will open up this year’s preseason. In this year’s Hall of Fame Game, Kenny Pickett will lead the Panthers and face off with rookie Carson Beck and the Cardinals.
Looking at the odds for our first NFL action, the Panthers enter as 1.5-point favorites and hold -120 odds of winning outright on DraftKings Sportsbook. The Cardinals hold +100 odds of pulling off the upset with the game total set at 35.5 points.
Panthers vs. Cardinals prediction, pick
Panthers Preview
The Carolina Panthers will look to build off a relatively encouraging 8-9 season as they enter the third year of the Dave Canales era. As has become commonplace around the league, plenty of the first string starters will remain on the sideline from start to finish in this matchup headlined by quarterback Bryce Young. Injuries will be a factor across the board. Carolina has had a tough start to training camp with rookie WR Chris Brazzell II suffering a torn LCL and second-year edge rusher Nic Scourton suffered a torn ACL during the first two weeks of training camp. Players like Ikem Ekwonu, Taylor Moton, and Tershawn Wharton have also dealt with ailments that had already occurred coming into the season.
This goes to say that we should expect Carolina to be digging deeper into their depth chart than you would largely hope for the first preseason matchup. Former Steelers’ starting quarterback, and Super Bowl champion with the Eagles Kenny Pickett, will be making the start under center for the Panthers. Undrafted Georgia Tech standout Haynes King is also expected to get plenty of opportunities at the QB spot. Trevor Etienne, AJ Dillon, Jimmy Horn Jr., John Metchi III, and Ja’seem Reed are a few other noteworthy players worth keeping an eye on.
Cardinals Preview
Unlike the Panthers, this season will mark the start of a new era for the Cardinals organization. Mike LeFleur will walk the sidelines as a head coach for the first time, and this will be our first full view at how he approaches these preseason exhibitions. Starting quarterback Jacoby Brissett entered the preseason at odds with the organization over his contract, but the two sides agreed to a reworked deal to get on the same page. Regardless, Arizona will be giving the start to 65th overall pick Carson Beck in the preseason opener. There was a time during his collegiate career at Georgia and Miami when Beck looked to have a clear path to being a potential top draft pick, but he did not get the finish to his time in college he hoped and will be playing with plenty to prove in this matchup. In the short-term, Beck will be looking to push Gardner Minshew for the QB2 job on this Cardinals roster. Kedon Slovis is also expected to get plenty of opportunities at quarterback.
It has also been announced that third overall pick and big-play running back Jeremiyah Love will be held out of this matchup. Marvin Harrison Jr. did not have the rookie year or start to training camp that he or the organization hoped, and will look to get back on track this coming season. Tyler Allgeier, Trey Benson, Xavier Weaver, Reggie Virgil, and Devin Duvernay are other notable skill position players to keep an eye on. This will make the first full look at LaFleur’s offensive system in a live game setting. It will remain to be seen how deep in the playoff the team elects to dig, but this is a meaningful moment as this new era of Arizona Cardinals football begins.
Best Bet
When looking at the outlook of preseason football games, sometimes motivation is the biggest factor. These are two of the younger head coaches in the NFL, and each will be hoping to set the tone for their respective teams. However, the Panthers went 0-3 in preseason last year under Dave Canales and were 1-2 in 2024. Carolina has lost the first matchup of preseason in both years under his tenure.
Given this is the first look at LeFleur’s offense and a number of positions competing for jobs, expect a higher level of competition on this Cardinals’ roster. This is especially noteworthy at the quarterback position. While the organization and NFL know what they are getting with Jacoby Brissett and Gardner Minshew, this will be Carson Beck’s first look at NFL action, and Kedon Slovis has plenty to prove to cement his standing in the league.
Preseason is volatile enough that my lean is generally toward the underdogs. But this is especially the case given the context of the quarterback matchup and the 1-5 preseason record by the Panthers under Canales. Arizona has one of the deepest running back rooms in the league, which will serve as a nice foundation for the team’s attack. My lean would be toward the under from a points perspective, but I am backing LeFleur to pick up the first victory of his head coaching career in this preseason showcase.
