All Panthers

Tre’von Moehrig and Damien Lewis believe things are changing for the Panthers

For the second straight Sunday, the Carolina Panthers was on the winning side of a three-point decision. It’s a team that appears headed in the right direction.
Russell Baxter|
Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) celebrates a touchdown during the second half the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images
Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) celebrates a touchdown during the second half the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

In this story:

Carolina Panthers

For the second consecutive week and the third time in four games, Dave Canales’s club emerged with a victory. On Sunday, it outlasted the visiting Dallas Cowboys via a 30-27 win. Running back Rico Dowdle totaled 239 yards from scrimmage and scored one touchdown in the three-point triumph.

The Carolina Panthers now own a 3-3 record—the first time since Week 10 of 2021 that the team was not below the .500 mark. That season, the Panthers opened 3-0 and wound up splitting their first 10 games before embarking on a season-ending seven-game losing streak.

The next assignment for Canales’s club is a road trip to MetLife Stadium to take on the winless New York Jets in Week 7. Aaron Glenn’s club is 0-6, and the only team in the league not to win a game this season. It’s a chance for the Panthers to do something they haven’t done since the first weeks of 2021. That year, the team owned a 3-2 record after five games, which was the last time the Panthers were above the .500 mark.

There’s definitely a different feel to a franchise that hasn’t experienced a winning season since 2017, and the players sense that.

Safety Tre’von Moehrig is in his first season in Carolina and is currently second on the team with 36 tackles. Left guard Damien Lewis is in his second year with the Panthers, part of an offensive line that was one of the best in the league in 2024 and a unit that has overcome its share of injuries this season.

A year ago, the Canales Era began with seven losses in its first eight games and a quarterback benched after two contests. The team bounced back to win four of its final nine games. This season, the Panthers are already in bounce-back mode after a 1-3 start, while third-year signal-caller Bryce Young remains resilient.

This Sunday, Canales’s squad looks to do something they haven’t done in 2025 and that’s win a road game. The Panthers are 0-3 away from home and been outscored a combined 95-45 in those setbacks.

  - Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI -

Carolina Panthers studs & duds from upset win over Dallas Cowboys

Rico Dowdle quickly becoming surprise superstar for Panthers offense

Cam Newton sends clear message to Panthers quarterback Bryce Young

Adam Thielen trade not working out for Panthers, Vikings, Adam Thielen

Published
Russell Baxter
RUSSELL BAXTER

Russell S. Baxter has been writing and researching the game of football for more than 40 years, and on numerous platforms. That includes television, as he spent more than two decades at ESPN, and was part of shows that garnered five Emmy Awards. He also spent the 2015 NFL season with Thursday Night Football on CBS/NFLN.