The Panthers Have a Hidden Advantage That Could Decide the NFC South

I really didn't think I'd be talking about the Panthers winning the NFC South four games into the season. After Chicago put 59 points on Carolina in Week 1, I was more worried about how bad things might get if that was what the Panthers were going to look like every week.

Three weeks later, Carolina is 2-2 and coming off a win over Detroit. The Panthers haven't looked anything like that Week 1 team since, and now I'm starting to look at the rest of this season a little differently.

CBS Sports ranked Carolina as the fourth-most vulnerable division leader this week, but something else in there caught my attention. The Panthers are tied for the third-easiest remaining schedule in the NFL.

I don't know if I'd call Carolina's remaining schedule easy. Philadelphia is right there after the bye, and the Panthers still have trips to Green Bay and Pittsburgh. Baltimore and Seattle are still on there, too, and I'm definitely not going to start counting any of those as wins.

But when you look at the rest of it, I can see why the numbers like Carolina's schedule.

The Panthers still play Tampa Bay twice and New Orleans twice. Atlanta comes to Charlotte in Week 18, and Carolina also has Denver, Minnesota, and Cincinnati left. I'm not saying the Panthers should win all of those games, but there aren't many where I'm looking at the schedule and thinking they have no chance.

That's a lot different than how I looked at this schedule before the season.

Maybe Carolina Doesn't Have to Be Great

Detroit Lions defensive back Christian Izien (5) tackles Carolina Panthers wide receiver Brycen Tremayne (87) during the second half at Bank of America Stadium in Charlotte on Sunday, Oct. 4, 2026. | USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect

I think that's what makes this interesting. The Panthers don't have to suddenly become one of the best teams in the NFC to win this division. They just have to be better than Atlanta, New Orleans, and Tampa Bay, and through four games, I don't think that's asking too much.

Atlanta is probably the team I'd worry about the most. Carolina already beat the Falcons 34-3 on the road, but that came with Cooper Rush at quarterback instead of Michael Penix Jr. Atlanta has looked different with Penix back, so I'm not going to look at what happened in Week 2 and assume Carolina is just better than the Falcons.

But that win still counts, and it could become pretty important later. The Panthers have five division games remaining, including Atlanta coming to Charlotte in Week 18. If Carolina can take care of its division games, I'm not sure how many of those tougher games on the schedule it actually has to win.

New Orleans and Tampa Bay haven't exactly scared me through the first month, either. It's still early, and I'm not writing either team off, but I also don't see any reason Carolina should look at those four games and think it can't win them.

The first few games after the bye might tell us a lot. Carolina goes to Philadelphia, comes home for Tampa Bay, and then has to turn around four days later and play at Green Bay. That's probably the part of the remaining schedule I like the least.

Even the Philadelphia game has one thing working in Carolina's favor. The Panthers will have two weeks to prepare, while the Eagles will be coming back from playing Jacksonville in London. I'm not saying that suddenly makes me want to pick Carolina, but having the extra preparation certainly doesn't hurt.

If the Panthers can get through that stretch and stay around the top of the division, that's when I think this schedule gets really interesting. There are going to be games Carolina should have a chance to win, and a lot of what happens in the NFC South is probably going to come down to those five remaining division games anyway.

Maybe I'm getting a little ahead of myself. After Week 1, I was wondering how bad this season could get, and now I'm sitting here looking at the schedule, trying to figure out how Carolina could win the division.

But that's how much the last three weeks have changed things for me. I'm still not ready to tell you the Panthers are going to win the NFC South, and after picking Detroit to beat them Sunday night, maybe I should stay away from predictions for a little while.

I just don't look at this schedule and wonder where Carolina is going to find enough wins anymore.

Now I'm wondering how many they can get.

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