4 key questions the Carolina Panthers have to answer in their final 4 games

A late bye week is better than never, so the Carolina Panthers should have fresh legs when they return to action next weekend against the New Orleans Saints.

Once they return to the practice field, the Panthers will face the four most critical games that the team has played since the end of their 2017 season - which ended in their last playoff appearance.

If they have any interest in returning to the postseason, the Panthers are going to have to answer four big questions over their last four games.

1. Was the Rams game a game-changer for Bryce Young?

Overall, Carolina's starting quarterback Bryce Young has had a disappointing 2025 season, considering the high note that he finished last year on. If he'd picked up where he left off the Panthers might already have a playoff spot secured. Instead, he's struggled more often than not, finishing with less than 200 total passing yards in nine of 11 starts this season.

However, Young may have hit a break-through in last week's stunning win over the Los Angeles Rams, who had the stingiest scoring defense in the NFL coming in. Young threw threw the ball at a level we hadn't seen before, posting three touchdowns, 10.3 yards per attempt and a new career-high 147.1 passer rating. We also saw a strong game from Young two weeks before against Atlanta.

It will all be for nothing if Young regresses back into the quarterback he's been most of this season. It's officially go time for Young, who has to prove that he can perform at a high level more often than not. If he can, the Panthers will have a fighter's chance to return to the playoffs.

2. Can they get Rico Dowdle going again?

The thing that would help Bryce Young the most would be reinvigorating a Carolina run game that's fallen off over the last few weeks. Rico Dowdle enjoyed a sensational six-week streak in the middle of the season, totaling over 700 yards and four touchdowns.

Defenses have adjusted to Dowdle's explosiveness, though - and they're now geared towards stopping him and daring Bryce Young to beat them. Over the last three games Dowdle has totaled just 141 rushing yards and no touchdowns while averaging 3.27 yards per attempt.

Young has to do his part in making opponents pay for loading up the box against Dowdle, but Dowdle also has to take advantage of the opportunities he has to make this more than a one-dimensional offense.

3. Will anyone step up to rush the passer?

The biggest problem for Carolina's defense last year was actually not their run defense as most think. For the season they finished with only 32 sacks, tied for the third-fewest in the league. This year it's been much the same story, and heading into Week 14 they have just 18 sacks, which ranks 31st in the NFL.

Getting rid of Jadeveon Clowney didn't help, but it's too late to put that cat back in the bag. The Panthers need somebody (hopefully more than one) to step up and start producing as a pass rusher.

At the moment the team leader in sacks is Derrick Brown with four, followed by rookie Nic Scourton with three and A'Shawn Robinson with 2.5. Nobody else on the roster has more than two.

That's pathetic production for a pro football team - and somebody has to answer the call or nothing else they do is going to matter down the stretch.

4. Can they finally beat the Buccaneers?

The final question - and the one that matters most - is a simple matchup hypothetical. Can the Panthers beat a Tampa team that has won the NFC South four years in a row, as well as beating Carolina in nine of their last 10 meetings?

The last time the Panthers got the job done was back in October, 2022. Despite a wildly imbalanced matchup at quarterback (P.J. Walker vs. Tom Brady) Carolina came out on top, 21-3.

They did it in large part because they held to a simple formula: they ran the ball and they stopped the run, holding Tampa to just 46 rushing yards on 2.88 yards per attempt and putting up 173 yards on the ground and averaging 6.41 themselves.

Every game is its own unique challenge, but if the Panthers can follow the same pattern they just might be able to beat the Bucs again. If they can do it twice, they'll most likely (80%) be back in the playoffs no matter what happens with Seattle and New Orleans.

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