Cardinals hoping to start season with 2-0 record, but Panthers have proved to be tough opponent

By Canadian Press on September 11, 2025.

Carolina (0-1) at Arizona (1-0)

Sunday, 4:05 p.m., EDT, CBS

BetMGM line: Cardinals by 6 1/2.

Series record: Panthers lead 15-6.

Against the spread: Panthers 0-1; Cardinals 1-0.

Last week: Jaguars beat Panthers 26-10; Cardinals beat Saints 20-13.

Last meeting: Panthers beat Cardinals 36-30 (OT) on Dec. 22, 2024, in Charlotte, N.C.

Panthers offense: overall (25), rush (14), pass (27), scoring (29).

Panthers defense: overall (24), rush (30), pass (13), scoring (24).

Cardinals offense: overall (20), rush (8), pass (30), scoring (T15).

Cardinals defense: overall (17), rush (17), pass (19), scoring (T6).

Turnover differential: Panthers minus-2; Cardinals even.

Panthers player to watch

WR Tetairoa McMillan. The No. 8 overall pick in the draft makes his return to Arizona, where he played for the Wildcats in college and finished as the school’s all-time leader in yards receiving. He had five catches for 68 yards in his NFL regular-season debut, also drew a 22-yard defensive holding penalty and had another 16-yard gain negated by a holding penalty. He is quickly looking like Carolina’s No. 1 receiving option after the team traded veteran Adam Thielen.

Cardinals player to watch

CB Will Johnson. The rookie made his presence felt during the season opener, playing lockdown defense in his first NFL game. The Michigan product slipped to the second round of the draft because of injury concerns, but it looks as if the Cardinals could have a steal.

Key matchup

Panthers QB Bryce Young vs. Cardinals S Budda Baker: Panthers coach Dave Canales said his offensive game plan revolves in part around where Baker is on the field. That shows the amount of respect he has for Arizona’s versatile star veteran safety. Young is coming off a rough first outing in Week 1 with three turnovers and has been bated into throwing interceptions before. Look for Baker to try to do the same on Sunday.

Key injuries

Panthers: DT Turk Wharton will miss 2-4 weeks because of a hamstring injury. The Panthers will take a by-committee approach to filling his role, but the injury is not good news for a defense that allowed 200 rushing yards in the season opener to Jacksonville. On the bright side for Carolina, LT Ickey Ekwonu is expected to make his season debut after missing last week recovering from an appendectomy, meaning Carolina will have all five regular starters ready to play.

Cardinals: S Joey Blount (neck) was put on injured reserve after an injury in the opener and is out for the season. He’s a key part of Arizona’s special teams. LB Cody Simon (concussion), TE Tip Reiman (foot), P Blake Gillikin (back) and OL Will Hernandez (knee) are also dealing with various ailments.

Series notes

The Panthers have dominated the series throughout, but especially over the past decade. Carolina has won seven of eight games in the series, going back to 2015, with the only exception in 2022.

Stats and stuff

Panthers QB Bryce Young is 6-23 as an NFL starter. … RB Chuba Hubbard was the best player on the roster last season after rushing for more than 1,100 yards in 2024 and will be a focal point of the offense again Sunday. The Panthers fell behind in Week 1 so Hubbard’s workload was limited, but the game plan will be to run him a lot early. He accounted for Carolina’s only TD last week on a reception. … Carolina is looking for WR Xavier Legette to have a breakout game after the second-year wideout struggled in Week 1. WR Hunter Renfrow looks as if he will be Carolina’s primary No. 3 receiver, at least until Jalen Coker returns from IR. … The Panthers allowed Travis Etienne to pile up 143 yards on the ground on just 16 carries, highlighted by a 71-yard run. … K Ryan Fitzgerald made his only field-goal attempt in Week 1 in his rookie debut. … The Cardinals won five of their past six games at home in 2024. Arizona is looking for its first home win in the series since 2013. … S Budda Baker needs seven tackles to reach 900. He would be the ninth active NFL player with 900 tackles. … RB Trey Benson had a 52-yard run against the Saints in Week 1, becoming the fourth Cardinals player with a 50-yard run since 2024. He joins Kyler Murray, James Conner and Emari Demercado. … This is the 20th season for the Cardinals at State Farm Stadium in Glendale, a suburb of Phoenix. … Arizona has a 12-6-1 record in home openers during its time at State Farm Stadium. … Second-year WR Marvin Harrison Jr. caught a TD pass against the Saints in Week 1, which was his ninth in 18 career games.

Fantasy tip

Benson has become an intriguing option in deeper leagues. It appears that the second-year back has earned a bigger role in Arizona’s offense and his 52-yard run against the Saints showed he might be ready to take advantage of the opportunity. The Panthers have allowed 200 yards rushing in seven straight games going back to last season, so Benson and James Connor could be in for big days.

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The Associated Press