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Analyst: Don't sleep on Panthers in 'wide open' NFC South

It has been tough going for the Panthers, who are looking to avoid an eighth straight losing season. One writer says hope springs eternal in the NFC South.
Russell Baxter|
Aug 2, 2025; Charlottle, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images
Aug 2, 2025; Charlottle, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales during Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The 2025 NFL season kicks off in just 30 days at Philadelphia. There’s plenty to talk about as all 32 teams will be in action this week via a full preseason slate.

Kyle Phillippi of Yardbarker put together a list of the Top 25 storylines in regards to the upcoming NFL season. A division dominated by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the majority of this decade earned his attention.

“There’s always a division or two that feels like any team could come up with the title,” explained Phillippi. “This year, it seems to be the NFC South where Tampa Bay and Atlanta appear to be the top two teams. That doesn't mean the young upstart Carolina Panthers and their second-year coach Dave Canales couldn't take a step forward. New Orleans could be in for a tough season, but there are enough names there that could string together wins to keep them competitive.”

Carolina Panthers have not won the NFC South since 2015

Bryce Young
Aug 2, 2025; Charlottle, NC, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) jogs to the huddleduring Fanfest at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Panthers won four of their final nine games this past season after a 1-7 start. Quarterback Bryce Young enters his third NFL season off a promising second-half showing in 2024. Running back Chuba Hubbard comes off a career campaign, while first-round wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has certainly opened some eyes this offseason.

The other side of the ball is led by 2023 Pro Bowl defensive tackle Derrick Brown, who is trying to orchestrate a comeback after missing all but one game in 2024. General manager Dan Morgan addressed the side of the ball in a big way this offseason, adding veterans such as Tershawn Wharton, Patrick Jones II, and Tre’von Moehrig, as well as rookies Nic Scourton, Princely Umanmielen, and Lathan Ransom.

Of course, the elephant in the room is the Buccaneers, winner of four straight division titles and the NFC’s longest active playoff streak at five seasons. Since 2020, the Panthers own a 1-9 record in this rivalry. It’s safe to say that Canales’s team has to make some headway against Todd Bowles’s club if they are to have a chance at winning their first division title since Carolina’s Super Bowl 50 campaign in 2015.

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Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.