The Panthers have found new life under quarterback Andy Dalton and their odds across the market have shortened precipitously as a result.
Before news of former No. 1 overall pick Bryce Young's benching, the Panthers had been as long as +20000 to win the NFC South. A $100 wager would have paid out $20,000 on that wager at DraftKings.
Now, that same $100 would get you $1,500 — just 7.5% of the original value just a week ago.
Similarly, the Panthers' playoff odds shot up to +900 at the sportsbook — down to a season-low of +3000 a mere seven days ago.
Dalton put up 319 passing yards and 3 touchdowns with no picks in an offensive masterclass, beating a Raiders team that a week earlier had dismantled the highly touted Ravens on the road.
That's after a two week showing that firmly had Carolina as one of the worst teams of all-time through two weeks, according to DVOA.
After Week 3, Carolina has shot ahead of the Dolphins, Titans and Browns at offensive EPA/play after ranking in firm last beforehand. On defense, the Panthers had ranked second-to-last. Now, they're ahead of the Cowboys and Rams — in addition to the Commanders — in that advanced metrics.
The market has responded to these improvements — albeit, over an incredibly small sample size — with corrections across the markets.
In fact, the Panthers have moved from an open of +8.5 home underdogs against the Bengals next week to +5.5 on account of Sunday's good performance.
Immediately after the Panthers' win against the Raiders, that number began to slide from +7 down to its current market-best price of +5.5 (-105) at FanDuel.
