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NFL analyst reveals what's at stake for Bryce Young, Panthers

Dave Canales’s improved team has a real opportunity in front of it over the next four weeks, as does the starting quarterback for the Carolina Panthers.
Russell Baxter|
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws a pass during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

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Carolina Panthers

The latest Power Rankings from NFL.com’s Eric Edholm has Dave Canales’s club at the 18th spot. The team owns a 7-6 record, winning as many games this season as they did in 2023 and ’24 combined. More importantly, the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers own identical 7-6 records with four weeks go play.

There is a lot on the line for Canales’s squad down the stretch as the club has put itself in position to secure a playoff berth for the first time since 2017. The Panthers could also win the NFC South for the first time since their Super Bowl 50 campaign in 2015. It also shapes up as an important four-game stretch for the club’s starting signal-caller.

“The league’s most curiously competitive team (along with the Jaguars),” explained Edholm, “the Panthers floated into their Week 14 bye following the dramatic home victory over the Rams that gave them a real path to the postseason. Tampa Bay’s crushing loss to New Orleans just made it a little smoother, too. Of course, the way this Carolina season has gone—ping-ponging between wins and losses since Week 7, and having some interesting results along the way—we're not taking anything for granted.”

Chuba Hubbard
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) rushes during the second quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The 31-28 victory over Sean McVay’s NFC West leaders in Week 13 saw Carolina play a complete game. They ran the ball 40 times, controlled the ball for 35:16, played turnover-free football, and came up with three takeaways—including cornerback Mike Jackson’s pick-six of Matthew Stafford. Now the Panthers seek a second straight victory for the first time since winning three straight from Weeks 5-7. However…

“The Saints are no gimme this Sunday,” said Edholm. “They beat the Panthers, 17-7, a month ago. But the division should be decided in Carolina's showdowns with Tampa Bay in Weeks 16 and 18. Can Bryce Young deliver? He, like the team, has been alternately hot and cold, but Young has a chance to fully secure his future in Carolina with a big finish.”

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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.