Panthers Disappoint in Season Finale, with Playoff Fate Up in the Air
The 2025 season has been a rollercoaster for the Panthers, from some of the highest highs to the lowest lows. If nothing else, this team has turned around from what they were last year. A tremendous season by all accounts, the last few years of hard work finally paying off. It’s unclear what the future holds for the Panthers and what this offseason will look like. A wishlist is coming for the offseason, but the foundation has finally been laid. In a Week 18 NFC South title game, the Panthers dropped the ball. A win would have secured their ticket to the postseason, but now their future hinges on a Falcons win over the Saints.
Bryce Young has had a season that’s for sure. This season, he set the Panthers' single-game passing record, then had a game in which he threw for only 56 yards. Regardless, Young came up big in this game. He has garnered a reputation for comeback victories, and while he did score a touchdown in the last two minutes of the fourth quarter, it was too little too late. His last regular-season game of 2025 ends with 24 completions for 264 passing yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. The former first overall pick has improved a lot this year, but his future in Carolina is still uncertain. I think he’s shown enough improvement for another season, but next year’s leap will have to be massive. Quarterbacks take time to adjust to the NFL, and Young is clearly starting to pick it up. A crucial grab for the Panthers in the offseason will have to be more weapons for Young. The receiving room stepped up this year, but it is clearly still lacking in explosiveness.
That being said, the Panthers' picking Tetairoa McMillian with the eighth overall pick has been the best move they’ve made in recent years. TMac has filled the crucial hole with an actual X receiver who can make big plays. As a frontrunner for Offensive Rookie of the Year, he finishes today with four receptions for 83 yards. He’s been Young’s number one target this year, and their chemistry will only be stronger heading into next year. The real issue begins below TMac on the depth chart. Xavier Legette has massively underperformed relative to where the Panthers drafted him. The Panthers traded up to get Legette, hoping he would become a security blanket for Young. Today, he finished with three receptions for 22 yards. The story of his career so far. In his absence, Jalen Coker has risen to the occasion and soundly become the WR2. Since his return, Coker has killed it, coming up big in the clutch, like today. In the fourth quarter, with time winding down, Coker beat his man to the outside and went up to grab the touchdown. Finishing with six receptions, 47 yards, and a touchdown. Legette’s future is most certainly up in the air with seventh-round rookie Jimmy Horn eating into his snaps.
The tight end room has been a revolving door all season, mainly due to injuries. Ja’Tavion Sanders has been the starter but has missed time due to injury, and most recently broke his ankle in Week 17, requiring surgery. While Sanders is solid, he isn’t the dynamic tight end that the Panthers need. The Panthers could use a reliable tight end who can get easy yards and easy receptions. Another electric receiver might be of more use, but if the opportunity presents itself, they should absolutely take it. Tommy Tremble has mostly taken over in his stead and was solid today. Finishing with three receptions for 38 yards and a touchdown. He and Sanders could certainly remain the main tight ends moving forward, but again, they leave much to be desired.
Rico Dowdle absolutely lit the league on fire when he had a stretch of multiple games over 100 rushing yards, highlighted in Week Five with a 206-yard rushing game. Dowdle finishes the year with his second 1,000-yard rushing season. Chuba Hubbard regressed quite a bit this year, mainly due to injury, and the rise of Dowdle. Hubbard still has juice if he is given the opportunities. With a potential two-headed rushing monster, the Panthers abandoned the run today. Hubbard and Dowdle combined for 12 carries for 20 rushing yards. The Panthers had established themselves as a run-first offense, then slowly tapered away from the run game. That is a good vote of confidence for Young, as head coach Dave Canales wants the ball in Young’s hands, but it is egregious to leave two quality running backs away from the ball. Both running backs have shown what they can do when given the opportunity. Dowdle signed a one-year deal, so we will have to see how that shakes out. Regardless, it is a travesty to see the Panthers move away from what helped them in the majority of their games this season.
The defense today was solid. Holding the finally healthy Bucs to only 16 points. The defense has done a complete 180 from last year. Unfortunately, their weak linebacker room ultimately hampered them. Linebacker has to be the most significant area of need heading into the offseason. The defense is weak against tight ends, and today was no exception. Cade Otton had his best game of the season with seven catches for 94 yards and a touchdown. The run game was held in check, with Buck Irving rushing for 86 yards but with terrible efficiency, 26 carries for an average of just over three yards per attempt. Tre’von Moehrig has been a huge pick-up for the Panthers and defensive coordinator Evero Ejiro. Moehrig is moved around the field and used in coverage, run-stopping, and the pass rush. Today he had six tackles, one sack, and two tackles for loss. He should be a key piece of the defense moving forward. Derrick Brown was snubbed from the Pro Bowl, but what he has brought to the Panthers' defense is hard to put into words. A bottom-of-the-pack team against the run last year, hard turned them into a top-15 run defense this year. He ended the regular season with 13 tackles today.
All in all, this has been the best season for the Panthers in nearly a decade. Tomorrow, their fate for the season will be decided against their will. Hopefully, today’s loss and potential to not make the playoffs will not erase the season they have had this year. The pieces are falling into place. A few more key pickups, and the Panthers stand to be a dominant force in the NFC South once again.
