Carolina Panthers Rewarded NFL Bettors the Most Last Year, Are They Worth a Wager This Season?
The new NFL season is finally here, and it's a good time to assess which teams provided the most bang for your buck last year. A new Sports Illustrated study found that the Carolina Panthers led all NFL teams with a 60.48% return on investment.
Carolina finished 8-9 last season, but somehow managed to win the NFC South. The Panthers gave the Rams all they wanted in terms of a challenge during the Wild Card round, ultimately losing 34-31 on a late TD pass by Matt Stafford.
Most Profitable NFL Teams for Bettors in 2025
Here is a list of the top NFL teams that paid off the most for bettors last season:
| Rank | Team | Wins | Losses | Ties | Profit | ROI |
| 1 | Panthers | 8 | 9 | 0 | $1,028.24 | 60.48% |
| 2 | Patriots | 14 | 3 | 0 | $797.22 | 46.90% |
| 3 | Jaguars | 13 | 4 | 0 | $732.10 | 43.06% |
| 4 | Bears | 11 | 6 | 0 | $659.57 | 38.82% |
| 5 | Steelers | 10 | 7 | 0 | $623.88 | 36.70% |
| 6 | Broncos | 14 | 3 | 0 | $547.89 | 32.23% |
| 7 | Texans | 12 | 5 | 0 | $514.96 | 30.29% |
| 8 | 49ers | 12 | 5 | 0 | $513.54 | 30.21% |
| 9 | Seahawks | 14 | 3 | 0 | $505.46 | 29.73% |
The Panthers produced a profit of $1,208.24 for bettors who backed them with a $100 moneyline bet to win every game during the regular season.
Make-or-Break Season for Panthers Under Bryce Young
Carolina has never recorded back-to-back winning seasons since the franchise debuted in 1995. In the eight seasons since David Tepper became owner, the Panthers are 44-89. Only the Jets (39-94) and Giants (41-91-1) have performed worse during that span.
Carolina QB1 Bryce Young has mostly underwhelmed since being selected No. 1 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft. To be fair, though, Young showed some progress last season in throwing for 3,011 yards and 23 TDs, the most for him in a single season so far. He was also picked off 11 times, marking another career high or low, depending on your worldview.
Young is effectively playing for a new multi-year contract extension after the Panthers exercised his fifth-year option for 2027. It remains to be seen whether the former Alabama product is a true franchise quarterback at the NFL level. With Young under center for 16 of 17 games, the Panthers finished 27th in the NFL with just 18.3 points per game last season.
Young will also start the season without both starting tackles in Taylor Moton (blood clot in lung) and Ikem Ekwonu (recovering from ruptured right patellar tendon). That’s not ideal, but The Athletic still forecasts Carolina as one of the NFL’s top-three surprise teams this season.
Reigning NFC Offensive Rookie of the Year Tetairoa McMillan is a legitimate WR1. He pulled down 70 catches for 1,014 receiving yards and seven TDs as a rookie. Starting running back Chuba Hubbard suffered a hamstring injury in training camp, but carries no injury designation heading into Sunday’s opener against Chicago.
Defensively, there are signs of encouragement with Pro Bowl linebacker Devin Lloyd coming over from Jacksonville. The Panthers also signed dynamic pass-rushing specialist Jaelan Phillips, who registered five sacks in 17 games for the Eagles and Dolphins last year. That should help Carolina improve on its -69 point differential from a season ago.
Strength of Schedule Works Against Panthers
The NFL schedule makers did Carolina no favors, as Sharp Football Analysis noted the Panthers have the third-toughest schedule in the league. Here’s a look at the full schedule:
| Week | Matchup | Time | TV |
| 1 | Bears at Panthers | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 2 | Panthers at Falcons | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 3 | Panthers at Browns | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 4 | Lions at Panthers | 8:20 p.m. | NBC |
| 5 | Bye Week | ||
| 6 | Panthers at Eagles | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 7 | Bucs at Panthers | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 8 | Panthers at Packers | 8:15 p.m. | Prime Video |
| 9 | Broncos at Panthers | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 10 | Panthers at Saints | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 11 | Ravens at Panthers | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 12 | Panthers at Bucs | 8:15 p.m. | ESPN |
| 13 | Panthers at Vikings | 4:25 p.m. | CBS |
| 14 | Saints at Panthers | 1 p.m. | CBS |
| 15 | Bengals at Panthers | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 16 | Panthers at Steelers | TBD | TBD |
| 17 | Seahawks at Panthers | 1 p.m. | FOX |
| 18 | Falcons at Panthers | TBD | TBD |
The Panthers have three primetime games after having just one over the past two seasons. Carolina faces six teams that made the playoffs last season, including the defending Super Bowl champion Seahawks. They open with the NFC North champion Bears in Week 1.
In division play, the Saints are projected to be much improved over last year. Here’s a look at NFC South futures at DraftKings:
- Bucs +164
- Saints +255
- Panthers +350
- Falcons +400
The NFC South was ranked as the weakest division in the NFL heading into the 2026 season.
How to Bet on Carolina’s Season Win Total in 2026
Heading into the 2026 NFL season, DraftKings offered the Panthers to go OVER 7.5 wins at +115 odds. Take a look at how that compared with other NFL teams.
| Team | Win Total | Over | Under |
| 49ers | 9.5 | -126 | +120 |
| Bears | 9.5 | +105 | -125 |
| Bengals | 10.5 | +115 | -140 |
| Bills | 10.5 | -120 | +100 |
| Broncos | 9.5 | -115 | -105 |
| Browns | 5.5 | -125 | +105 |
| Buccaneers | 8.5 | +115 | -136 |
| Cardinals | 3.5 | -136 | +115 |
| Chargers | 9.5 | -140 | +115 |
| Chiefs | 10.5 | +115 | -140 |
| Colts | 7.5 | -140 | +115 |
| Commanders | 7.5 | -105 | -115 |
| Cowboys | 9.5 | +100 | -120 |
| Dolphins | 3.5 | -140 | +110 |
| Eagles | 10.5 | +115 | -140 |
| Falcons | 7.5 | +120 | -140 |
| Giants | 7.5 | -110 | -110 |
| Jaguars | 8.5 | -140 | +116 |
| Jets | 5.5 | -120 | +100 |
| Lions | 10.5 | -115 | -105 |
| Packers | 9.5 | -130 | +110 |
| Panthers | 7.5 | +115 | -136 |
| Patriots | 10.5 | +115 | -140 |
| Raiders | 5.5 | -150 | +125 |
| Rams | 11.5 | -130 | +110 |
| Ravens | 11.5 | +115 | -140 |
| Saints | 7.5 | -120 | +100 |
| Seahawks | 10.5 | -115 | -105 |
| Steelers | 8.5 | +110 | -130 |
| Texans | 9.5 | -146 | +124 |
| Titans | 6.5 | +100 | -120 |
| Vikings | 8.5 | -120 | +100 |
In the final analysis, the recommended wager is on UNDER 7.5 wins for the Panthers. Expect Young’s uneven play at quarterback to continue. It’d be no surprise to see him removed as the starter, similar to 2024 when Andy Dalton replaced him after two games. The leash will be longer this time around, but there’s not much drop-off between Young and backup Kenny Pickett.
Pick: Carolina Panthers UNDER 7.5 wins (-136)
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