It has been rough sledding for the Carolina Panthers over the last two weeks. They've been obliterated by two strong defenses that smelled blood in the water in Carolina's pass protection. Up next, the Denver Broncos. It's not ideal.

The Panthers were widely picked to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but after being trounced by them at home, almost no one had any faith in them to beat the Green Bay Packers. Has that sentiment changed back home vs. the Broncos?

Week 9 expert picks suggest Panthers will have another long day

CBS Sports' Pete Prisco picked the Panthers to lose every single time out until he picked them to beat the Buccaneers. He's back to picking them to lose, and it's hard to blame him. He predicts a 26-20 Broncos win.

"The Panthers have been beat up the past two games, leading to the firing of defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero. They are reeling on defense. The Broncos won a tough one last week against the Chiefs thanks to late-game magic by Bo Nix. This time, it's a lot easier against a bad Panthers defense and struggling offensive line," he wrote.

His CBS colleague John Breech thinks the Panthers lose by one, thus covering the spread. Mike Spector of Sportsbook Review believes the Panthers can cover the spread and potentially win outright.

"Denver is fortunate to be sitting at 6-2, as it has been outgained by 221-plus yards twice (and is 1-1 in those games), while going 2-0 in games it has also been outgained by 105 and 187 yards," he wrote. "This comes with risk, as the Broncos have tied an NFL record with 15 straight regular-season wins decided by one score. But I’m hoping for an even narrower Broncos win or a double-digit Panthers win."

Erich Richter of The New York Post thinks the Broncos win in a blowout. "The Broncos are rated No. 8 in defensive DVOA and they’re allowing just 4.9 yards per play in their last three games, eighth best in the NFL," he said. "The Panthers are 18th in total DVOA and I think they’re even worse on the field than that ranking suggest. Target the Broncos to win this one big."

Bill Bender of Sporting News predicts a 28-20 Broncos win. "Is this a trap spot for the Broncos after the comeback victory against Kansas City? It's a chance to turn up the heat on Carolina quarterback Bryce Young. Denver has 23 sacks, and running back Jonah Coleman is becoming a factor in the running game. The Broncos will extend their winning streak to five games."

His colleague, Vinnie Iyer, believes this is a potential trap game for the Broncos, but he still thinks it's a double-digit Broncos win because they've found the running game "just in time" to continue "pounding on the Panthers."

Surprisingly, not many believe this can be an actual trap game. The Broncos are coming off an emotional high and traveling across multiple time zones. They're also not as good as their record would suggest.

That's telling. The Panthers are getting no respect here, and it's quite hard to argue with that.