Tetairoa McMillan identifies one thing the Carolina Panthers are missing most

Overall, there's a lot to like about the 2025 Carolina Panthers. At the moment they have four more wins than they did at this time last year, their defense has dramatically improved after a historically-bad season and the outlook for this franchise is brighter than it's been in almost a decade.

There's still plenty of room for improvement obviously, both on the field and on the sideline. Earlier this week standout rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan was interviewed by on3, and they asked him how the Panthers can finish the season strong and make a playoff run.

McMillan responded by identifying the one thing that this team missing most: consistency.

"Just be consistent and continue to elevate,” McMillan explained. “I feel like we’ve had a lot of highs and a lot of lows right now. So we just got to learn how to be consistent and stack days, and just elevate.”

Aug 8, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) on the field in the second quarter at Bank of America Stadium. | Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

McMillan is right on the money, as the Panthers have developed a habit of playing extremely well one week, only to bomb the next. Going back to Week 7 against the Jets, they have won one game then lost the next on their schedule.

So, who's fault is it that the Panthers are so inconsistent from week to week? McMillan can help things himself by working on his catch rate, which is a relatively low 58.2%.

The real answer is probably that this is a total team issue, but two culprits stand out above the rest. The first is starting quarterback Bryce Young, who's coming off the best game of his career in a brilliant performance against a Rams defense that was giving up fewer points per game than any other team coming into alst week.

Young also smoked a Falcons defense that was allowing the fewest passing yards per game in the league - and he's had brilliant moments against Miami, Dallas and Arizona, as well.

Young has also been atrocious in games against the 49ers, Saints, Patriots and Packers, despite Carolina recording a win for the latter matchup.

No NFL quarterback is on fire every game the way he was last week,but Bryce Young needs to elevate his game to play closer to his best ball more consistently.

The other big culprit is head coach Dave Canales, who has to help Young perform at a more even level from one game to the next. He also has to do a better job of being more aggressive on a consistent basis. His gameplan against the Rams and Falcons was excellent, but it's also been preseason-level vanilla in too many matchups this season.

If these two can put their heads together and start operating at a higher level more often than not, these Panthers are going to go places. If they can't, then the nine or so wins they finish with this season is likely to be their ceiling.

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