Why the Panthers Must Still Be Considered the Team to Beat in NFC South

The Carolina Panthers will get a lot more national attention this season. A recent discussion focused on the team’s chances of repeating as division champions.

Dec 21, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales during the first half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Now that the 2026 NFL schedule has been released, it’s time for many people to make plans for the upcoming football season. For the reigning NFC South champion Carolina Panthers, they will have to be a little more ready for prime time than in recent seasons.

This upcoming season, the club hosts the Detroit Lions on a Sunday night in Week 4, travel to Lambeau Field for a Thursday night tilt in Week 8, and head to Raymond James Stadium to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on a Monday night in Week 12.

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The last time the Panthers were slated to make at least three appearances in prime time was 2016, the year after their Super Bowl 50 campaign. This past season, Dave Canales’s club fell on a Monday night at San Francisco, 20-9, in Week 12. That was it for lights, camera, action!

Will the Panthers win the NFC South for the second straight year?

More importantly, Good Morning Football host Jamie Erdahl recently teed up a discussion that is worth a listen: Who is the team to beat in the NFC South in 2026? While Manti Te’o feels that Canales’s Panthers will repeat, six-year NFL fullback Jason Cabinda and former defensive back/head coach Herm Edwards chimed in and both like the Buccaneers to reclaim the top spot that they owned from 2021-24.

Let’s look at the division’s somewhat-recent history. Over the past 10 seasons dating back to 2016, every team in the NFC South has claimed the top spot at least once. The Super Bowl-bound Falcons managed the trick in ’16, and Carolina obviously won the division this past season. In between there were four-year runs by the New Orleans Saints (2017-20) and Buccaneers (2021-24).

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In 2025, the Panthers, Bucs, and Falcons all finished 8-9, with the Saints bringing up the rear at 6-11. All four clubs were 3-3 within the division, and Carolina actually won the NFC South because of a 3-1 head-to-head record vs. Atlanta (2-0) and Tampa Bay (1-1). Then again, the Panthers were swept by Kellen Moore’s team, which was 4-1 in their last five outings, and the Falcons closed out 2025 with four consecutive victories. All told, it’s a tough foursome to get a feel for.

Carolina Panthers are a franchise on the rise

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So why do the Panthers still deserve consideration as the team to beat in the division? The feeling here is based on trajectory. This was a franchise that hired Canales after a 2-15 season in 2023. The new head coach guided the club to three more wins in his first season, and three more victories in his second campaign.

Three-year quarterback Bryce Young has come a long way since a forgettable rookie season and being benched by Canales after two games in 2024. General manager Dan Morgan continues to build a balanced roster via free agency and the draft, and Canales’s team didn’t take many hits this offseason in terms of key departures. Simply put, the Panthers appear to be a club on the rise, while the others may be just treading water…

But keep an eye on that team from the Big Easy.