NFL writer says Carolina Panthers’ offense will reach new heights in 2025

The late-season surge by Dave Canales’s team in 2024 has one analyst making a bold prediction regarding Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers’ attack.

Dec 22, 2024; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales with quarterback Bryce Young (9) in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

After finishing with the worst record in the league in 2023, and getting off to a 1-7 start in ’24, wins in four of their final nine games adds up to a lot of optimism for the Carolina Panthers.

So much so, that when it came to SI.com’s Conor Orr’s “bold prediction” in 2025, the analyst came up with a somewhat-stunning forecast.

“The Panthers will score 40 or more points three times next season. Last year, the Panthers were subject to three games in which their opponents hung 40 on the board. But the new and improved Carolina under second-year head coach Dave Canales will have Bryce Young pushing into the top-10 quarterback category with a series of high-wire performances.

“While it helps that Carolina has a favorable slate of opponents, I think David Tepper was right at the end of this season when he suggested that the team had found its coach and quarterback.”

Jan 5, 2025; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) tries to escape the pressure from Atlanta Falcons linebacker DeAngelo Malone (51) during the second half at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Dale Zanine-Imagn Images | Dale Zanine-Imagn Images

Just how outlandish is this prediction? Let’s look at the franchise’s history. The Panthers have played 484 regular-season games, and reached the 40-point mark only 15 times. The only occasion they managed to score at least 40 points twice in one season was their last Super Bowl campaign in 2015, when NFL MVP Cam Newton and the club were “losers” to the Denver Broncos.

The Panthers have also played in 17 postseason contests, and their lone 40-point playoff outing also came during that aforementioned Super Bowl 50 season. Cam Newton and company rolled the Arizona Cardinals, 49-15, in the 2015 NFC Championship Game.

Here’s some quick culumative math. Dating back to their inaugural season in 1995, the Panthers have played in a grand total of 501 contests (including playoffs) and scored at least 40 points in a game only 16 times.

Of course, Orr might be onto something considering the way Young played after returning to the starting lineup. Ironically, Carolina ended 2024 with a 44-38 overtime victory at Atlanta. Then again, the Panthers also allowed an NFL-record 534 points in ’24. Unless there’s some changes, Canales’s team may need all the 40-point games it can get.

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