Why rematch with rivals is a must-win game for the Carolina Panthers

Things have taken a dramatic term in the NFC South. On Thursday night at Raymond James Stadium, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squandered a 14-point fourth quarter lead and fell to the Atlanta Falcons, 29-28. That loss dropped the Bucs’ win-loss record to 7-7, one-half game behind Dave Canales’s team.

The 7-6 Carolina Panthers are now in position to win their first NFC South title since 2015. All they must do is defeat the New Orleans Saints this Sunday at the Superdome, then knock off the Buccaneers in Charlotte in Week 16. Keep in mind that Canales’s club was surprised at home by the Saints, 17-7, in Week 10. The Panthers are 1-4 in their last five games in this series.

Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle (5) rushes during the first quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Kinser-Imagn Images | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images

Nevertheless, Brooke Cersosimo of NFL.com feels that Carolina is poised to get the job done this weekend. “This Panthers team is on a mission to build on its pre-bye stunner of the Rams. I expect Dave Canales to ride Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard against a New Orleans defense that ranks in the Bottom 10 against the run but sixth against the pass. Sprinkle in some timely plays from Bryce Young, and the Panthers should be sitting pretty against a Saints team that has reached 20 points once in its last eight games..."

“I trust the Panthers even more in this one if Jaycee Horn (concussion) is back,” added Cersosimo. “Carolina needs to capitalize on this winnable game because of what lies ahead in its schedule…This is a must-win.”

What lies ahead for inconsistent Carolina is the aforementioned with the Bucs, a clash with the formidable Seahawks in Charlotte, and a rematch with the Buccaneers at Tampa in Week 18. That’s not an easy path, and that “winnable game” is against a Saints' team that held Carolina to season lows in points (7) and total yards (175) in Week 10.

It’s going to be a fascinating week or so for a division that the Buccaneers have owned the previous four seasons.

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