The Carolina Panthers might just have an elite offense

Through six games, the Carolina Panthers haven't had the offense everyone expected. After Bryce Young's breakout and the arrival of Tetairoa McMillan and Rico Dowdle, many expected the team to take a huge step forward in 2025. If you look at the box scores, particularly for Young, that doesn't seem to be the case.

Young has struggled with turnovers, and the offense has scored 30 points just once all year. Yet, if you look underneath the cover, the Panthers' offense has actually been a whole lot better than you think. As in, this Panthers unit has been one of the best in the entire league.

Panthers boast one of the NFL's most successful offenses

Tetairoa McMillan, Panther — Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) celebrates a touchdown during the second half the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

The Buffalo Bills. The Washington Commanders. The Indianapolis Colts, somehow. These three teams all have very good offenses. They're the top three in terms of offensive success rate. Want to know who's fourth behind them? Look no further than Charlotte, NC.

The Panthers offense today produced the second-highest success rate of any team in a single game this season.

The Panthers are now 4th in offensive success rate on the season. The only teams that have been better are the Colts, Bills, and Commanders.
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) October 12, 2025

The Panthers have the fourth-best offense in the NFL in terms of success rate. Only three teams have been more successful on that side of the ball, which is just bonkers to even consider. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys, and the Los Angeles Rams, among others, aren't as good as the Panthers in this metric.

Sure, you can argue that this is heavily inflated by Sunday's outing which was the second-best of any team all year. The Falcons game probably inflates it, too. But on the flip side, half of the Falcons game, the entire Jaguars contest, and the first quarter against the Dolphins bring that way down.

So to balance it out at fourth overall despite the bad outings, including a turnover against the Cowboys, feels pretty fair. They won't stay a top-five unit in the NFL all year long, but this at least proves that we weren't all insane for expecting the Panthers to field a very strong offensive unit after what transpired last year.

It may or may not translate to wins since this still isn't a high-octane offense and the defense is exceptionally hot and cold, but it does suggest that the Dave Canales and Bryce Young-led offense can be really, really good.

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