The National Football League is hosting their annual Hall of Fame celebration in Canton this week. The induction ceremony will enshrine five former stars of the league, namely Drew Brees, Roger Craig, Larry Fitzgerald, Luke Kuechly and Adam Vinatieri.
The induction class of five has a lot more stars than the two teams in action will bring to play in this first preseason game of the NFL’s 107th season. Both the Carolina Panthers and Arizona Cardinals had losing records last season … although an 8-9 record in the NFC South Division was good enough for Carolina to win first place.
Is that good news for the young Panthers?
It was good last year but now they have to pay the price for winning their division with a first place schedule that includes playing six games on the road against teams that made the playoffs in 2025. The Panthers also are young and have questionable depth that has been exacerbated with the loss of promising rookie receiver Chris Brazzell II, who is out for the season with an injury. An injury has also sidelined one of their best defensive players, Linebacker Nic Scourton. He suffered an injury on July 23 that will end his 2026 season after a promising rookie campaign last year.
This adds up to a tough season for Carolina.
Which brings up this question: If the Panthers are no good why are they point spread favorites today on a neutral field?