After an ugly 11-10 loss in Week 3 on the road versus the Denver Broncos, Jimmy Garoppolo and the San Francisco 49ers looked a whole lot better in Week 4 in which they scored a 24-9 home win against the reigning Super Bowl champions Los Angeles Rams. The Carolina Panthers, on the other hand, continue to struggle with Baker Mayfield and that was obvious yet again in Week 4’s 26-16 loss to the Arizona Cardinals at home. Will the Niners go above .500? Or will the Panthers net a win before things get out of hand? Check out our preview of this 49ers vs Panthers game in Week 5 of the 2022 NFL regular season.
Dynamic wide receiver Deebo Samuel was yet again solid for the 49ers. In Week 4, he had 115 receiving yards and a touchdown on six catches and seven targets against the Rams. There are limitations on San Francisco’s offense because of what Jimmy Garoppolo could do on the field, but guys like Samuel and Brandon Aiyuk are talented enough to fill the gaps for the 49ers’ attack that looks elite when compared to what Carolina is having on that end of the field this season. Defensively, the Niners should be able to handle the Panthers’ lightweight offense that is struggling so much to move the chains (32nd in total yards per game).
Baker Mayfield is not looking like the answer for Carolina’s offense. Against the Cardinals, Mayfield went just 22/36 for 197 passing yards and a touchdown with two interceptions. It might not be long before the Panthers pull the trigger and switch to last season’s starter Sam Darnold. The Panthers still have a good defense, though. They are 13th in the NFL this season so far with 21.3 points allowed per game and fourth in opponents’ touchdown rate in the red zone (37.5%).
The Panthers are 7-3 against the spread in their last 10 games against San Francisco, dating back to 2001.
