Carolina Panthers continue getting weirdly derided in NFL playoff coverage

The Carolina Panthers are 8-9. They have a -69 point differential, the fourth-worst among all NFL playoff teams in the history of the sport. They back-doored their way into the playoffs via a three-way tie and needed help to do it.

They're a likely first-round exit, even if they beat the Los Angeles Rams in Week 13. We know all of this, and no one's shy about the team's true nature, least of all the national media. But why?

"Yeah, the Panthers made it, but they didn't deserve it and won't be here long" seems to be the immediate, prevailing reaction to the Panthers' presence in the playoff field, which is weird considering all the narrative options there are.

The narrative that they're bad and shouldn't be in the field is the loudest one, but no one seems to be considering alternate angles. The Panthers are two years removed from winning two games. Dave Canales is in his second season.

Bryce Young is in his third year, and the bust label flowed freely for most of the first two. They spent a first-round pick on Xavier Legette, and their defense gave up more points than any unit in the history of the sport last season.

Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales celebrates with quarterback Bryce Young (9) after a game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Why are we focusing on how bad they are this year instead of how much improved the Panthers are? They have achieved a rather stunning turnaround in two years under Canales, but the entire focus needs to be on how awful they are?

What the media should be honing in on is the fact that a team on the rise snuck into the playoffs. Had they finished 8-9 but missed the playoffs, I have no doubt that the narrative would be that they're up next because of that upward trajectory.

But because they arrived a bit early and by unorthodox means, we have to make sure to belittle and put the Panthers down. It makes no sense. The Panthers ascended, but because they got in the field over the 9-8 Detroit Lions, suddenly, Carolina's the big villain of the NFL.

Within this, the hypocrisy shines bright. The Pittsburgh Steelers won two more games, but they're also not a very good team, and they also play in a bad division. One could argue that it's even worse because the AFC North had fewer teams reach eight wins.

No one's talking about them like they don't deserve to be in the field. No one's talking about the Steelers like they're guaranteed to get eviscerated in the first-round by the Houston Texans.

And if the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had made it in, also with an 8-9 record and highly negative point differential, the discussion would be about whether Baker Mayfield has a run in him. There would be talk of them being a sneaky playoff winner.

But since it's the Panthers, who were slightly worse in some metrics, it's a stain on the NFL's legacy. Never mind the fact that this is massive for a team that hasn't seen postseason play since 2017 and hasn't won a game since the 2015 NFC Championship Game.

Never mind that it's monumental for the growth and development of a third-year quarterback. Never mind that a second-year coach getting playoff experience is going to be huge for the future of the team.

Never mind all that simply because the Panthers are bad. News flash, bad teams make the playoffs all the time with seven teams and division-winner automatic bids. Why do the Panthers deserve all the derision for their turn in that spot? They don't.

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