Analyst shares brutal take on Carolina Panthers' postseason chances

An NFL writer had thoughts on the NFC playoff field and why each team will win and won’t win Super Bowl LX. He analysis of the Carolina Panthers was unique.

Dec 28, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales on the sidelines in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

For the sixth consecutive year, a total of 14 teams are headed to the playoffs. That would be seven per conference. The top seeds in each are the AFC’s Denver Broncos and the NFC’s Seattle Seahawks.

The Carolina Panthers finished 8-9 and won the NFC South. It’s the franchise’s first division title since 2015, and the team is headed to the playoffs for the first time since 2017.

Austin Mock of The Athletic penned a piece explaining why each of the seven teams in the NFC will capture Super Bowl LX, and why each of those same clubs won’t be hoisting a Super Bowl trophy come February.

However, when it came to Dave Canales’s squad, Mock didn’t and did.

Huh?

That’s right. Mock was pretty blunt when it came to the Panthers’ chances of winning Super Bowl LX at Levi’s Stadium at Santa Clara.

“They won’t. I’m sorry, but this is the worst team in the playoffs. Credit to them for getting here, but they’re double-digit underdogs to the Rams this weekend, and that’s with the Panthers playing at home. If they somehow pull off an upset, they’ll most likely be on the road in the divisional round, which will likely see them as significant underdogs again. It’s just not happening. Not this year. Sorry, Panthers fans.”

Jan 3, 2026; Tampa, Florida, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) runs on field before the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Wow. So Mock is saying there isn’t a chance? Why not? “See above,” said the NFL writer. “They have shown flashes this year, and that’s encouraging for the future, but it’s not nearly enough to provide hope for a magical playoff run. Quarterback Bryce Young hasn’t progressed, and the once-solid rushing attack has run out of steam over the second half of the year, in which the Panthers ranked 31st in yards after contact by a good margin. To put it another way, the most exciting things about the 2025 Panthers are their rookie class and their kickoff coverage unit. That’s not a Super Bowl contender.”

The Panthers are the only team in this year’s playoff field that doesn’t possess a winning record. The offense is ranked 27th in the league and only five teams have scored fewer points. Canales’s club owns a minus-69 point differential, and Carolina has more turnovers (23) than takeaways. The Panthers (380) did give up 154 fewer points than a season ago (534).

For the Panthers, the quest to reach Super Bowl LX begins this Saturday against a Los Angeles Rams’ team that totaled an NFL-high 518 points. A Rams’ team the Panthers defeated, 31-28, at Charlotte in Week 13.

Food for thought.

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