The Carolina Panthers were supposed to take a step back in 2014. They lost most of their wide receivers, Cam Newton had ankle surgery and he even went into Week 1 with cracked ribs. Two weeks later, those same Panthers are building off of their 2013 momentum with a 2-0 start. In fact, they enter their Week 3 home battle against the Pittsburgh Steelers with a real shot at getting to 3-0. Considering Carolina started 2013 off at 0-2 and still made it to 12-4, a hot start like that is rather encouraging.
Also encouraging is the value to be had with Carolina Panthers tickets this week. Panthers vs Pittsburgh Steelers tickets for Sunday night have an average price of $227 on the secondary market. The get-in price for the game is currently $69. The game is one of the more expensive home games on the Panthers schedule this season, 18% above the Panthers home average. It’s also one of the most expensive road games on the Steelers schedule.
While it’s a solid deal worth checking out live, it doesn’t necessarily represent itself as a cakewalk game the Panthers are guaranteed to win. The 1-1 Steelers have showed up as two different versions through the first two weeks, but have flashed both the ability to stifle opponents on defense and dazzle with a balanced offense.
The unfortunate part for the Steelers, though, is they’re going up against a Carolina team that definitely bests them in the defense department. With this game almost certainly coming down to who can run the ball more effectively and make fewer mistakes, odds are the Panthers hold the distinct advantage.
Cam Newton is playing just his second game of the year and should only continue to get more comfortable as his cracked ribs heal up and he plays more with his new supporting cast. His chemistry with rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin should be key in this one, as the Panthers look to squeak out what figures to be a low-scoring, gritty game at home. This is exactly the type of game Carolina is built to dominate, though, and fans attending this one live should watch them walk into week four with an unblemished 3-0 mark.
