NFL analyst reveals whether Panthers will ‘run away’ with NFC South now

The Carolina Panthers are on the verge of their first division title since 2017. However, closing the deal on the NFC South may be a lot easier said than done.

Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders (0) as the crowd to get loud in the fourth quarter at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Bob Donnan-Imagn Images | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

There’s two weeks remaining in the 2025 NFL season. It’s been a year of growth for the Carolina Panthers, although the team continues to play the game of alternating wins and losses in their last nine outings.

Of course, there’s another game that Dave Canales’s club could be participating sometime soon. The Panthers seek their first division title since 2015, which would also mean playing in their first postseason contest since a first-round clash with the New Orleans Saints in 2017.

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports put together a little exercise in terms of overreactions from the last week of games. This past Sunday, the Panthers edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-20, at Charlotte. It raised their record to 8-7, and put them in undisputed first place at the top of their division, just one game ahead of the 7-8 Bucs.

Hence, the question was posed if Canales’s team, off their performance, was poised to “run away with the NFC South?” Simply put, Sullivan called this an overreaction.

“The victory vaulted them to first place in the NFC South as they sit as the No. 7 seed in the conference with just two weeks left in the regular season. As much as this win gives them an inside lane to eventually being named NFC South champions, it's a step too far to say that they are not going to run away with the division. Yes, if Carolina wins out, they'll clinch the division, but the road ahead is hardly easy.”

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

That’s an understatement considering Carolina’s next two opponents. “Next week,” explained Sullivan, “they'll host the Seattle Seahawks, who are currently the No. 1 seed in the NFC, before heading on the road to Raymond James Stadium, where they'll again play the Buccaneers. Meanwhile, Tampa Bay's Week 17 opponent is far easier in the Miami Dolphins, albeit with that game being on the road. This division is still very much up in the air.”

The playoff-bound Seahawks are in the midst of a five-game winning streak and own a combined 13-2 road record under head coach Mike Macdonald. Meanwhile, the Panthers’ last road victory against the Bucs came in 2019 at London. All told, Carolina hasn’t won at Raymond James Stadium since 2017.

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