Panthers Finally Projected to Avoid 2026 Collapse Everyone Thinks is Coming

No matter where you look, there is a lot of negativity about the 2026 Carolina Panthers (though not here). It's not hard to understand why, even if it's unfortunate and harsh.

The Panthers won eight games last year but had a -69 point differential. Their offense, led by former number one overall pick Bryce Young, scored a lowly 18.3 points per game.

Carolina also faces a first-place schedule that projects to be one of the three hardest in the NFL. Even a good offseason wasn't enough to convince NFL fans and media that they can overcome that.

We could argue forever about whether or not this is a fair assumption. We have covered endlessly that the schedule isn't going to be as hard as everyone expects, that the 2025 schedule was tougher than expected, and that the Panthers are better equipped to handle it than people think.

Let's not relitigate all of that. Instead, we're just going to point you in the direction of someone else who, in a rare twist, also believes that the Panthers aren't going to fall completely flat this year.

An NFL analyst finally believes the Panthers won't completely crumble

Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks on from the sideline= — Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) looks on from the sideline | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

To be totally fair to almost everyone who has predicted the Panthers' downfall this year, the recipe certainly isn't for success. It's reasonable to combine a first-place schedule, a mediocre team in 2025, and a barely improved, disappointing offense and come up with a rough season.

Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport isn't one of them, though. The initial 6.5-win line was bumped to 7.5 wins after the draft and free agency, indicating that the Panthers did do well in those areas. It just wasn't enough.

Davenport, however, believes the Panthers will surpass that win total. He said it doesn't mean the Panthers will be particularly good, but that the formula they followed last year to grit out eight wins isn't changing.

"Bryce Young showed some improvement under center last year, but no one's mentioning him with Josh Allen anytime soon. The passing game weapons are—OK. The ground game is a question mark—as is just about every level of the defense," he wrote.

But ultimately, Davenport came to the conclusion that "this is a mediocre team that will win ugly and hover around .500 most of the year before missing the playoffs."

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) looks on before the game | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

That is essentially what the 2025 Panthers were, only that they snuck into the playoffs thanks to a three-way tie. Based on Davenport's predictions, this is a second-place finish in the NFC South.

And while we'd all love to repeat as champions, given all the hardships ahead, we could get behind the idea of finishing second by a single game as a non-ideal outcome. Growth isn't linear.

Our prediction is that the Panthers are a better team this year based on point differential, but the increase in schedule difficulty makes it hard for them to truly make the leap, thereby leaving them roughly the same in record, which is where Davenport has them: 8-9 again.

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