Update from CBS on who they think is most likely to return to the playoffs
January 13, 2026
No surprise i guess… panthers are ranked worst
40 comments
I agree, but fuck em anyway.
I mean, can you argue with any part of what they said? If we have an off-season like last year then we’ve got a great shot but we really need to nail it again.
I think that’s fair
Yes it’s going to be tough. We had a bunch of one score games this year. We are also playing 1st place schedule next year.
If we can repeat as division champs we may be legit. If Bryce can bring the sauce, we should be good
We need to keep building a team, and I like the direction this team is going. Its like we figured out how to win games, not that we win every game, but we did win 8. My hope is next year we are able to win games we should. That said, our schedule next year will be harder since we finished in first place. I think 10-7 is a reasonable expectation with 11-6 or 12-5 as a best case scenario.
All fair imo
There is flux in both TB and ATL with new HCs/OCs. Saints still have cap hell they are working through.
If we can have another successful offseason like last year we should be in a good position to repeat in the South.
Tbh this is a very even keeled take, too reasonable actually get this bullshit off reddit.
We have other great players too. Chubba Hubbard, Rico Dowdell, Jalen Coker. CBS is just jealous they got it wrong.
Wouldn’t expect any Panthers love from CBS.
Clearly they are just Bryce haters, saying that he was the bottom half in every statistic.
I can only hope CBS gets a TV next year, or something
On paper we have a very hard schedule and we were very inconsistent this year. I understand their reasoning completely.
We really need another very good offseason. We need an edge that offenses have to account for. We need a real upgrade at linebacker. I think our corners and safeties are actually pretty good. We need at least one more offensive playmaker. Maybe that’s Brooks. All reports are he is ready. The receiver room seems set at the top 2 spots. Is Jimmy Horn the speed guy we need? Maybe. Defenses do take him seriously when he goes deep. Can XL finally pull it together? I don’t know. But I say push both of them if possible. We have good cap room and we can make more if need be. Apparently no matter what happened on the field they were picking up Bryce’s option. So a later round QB to make the backup seems like a good idea if there is a decent one available. And maybe he competes for the first job. That would be good. Chuba is here for the foreseeable and as I mentioned Brooks seems ready to give it a go. But still there is always RB talent late or even UDFA. Maybe grab one.
That’s a lot to ask for one offseason. But it’s doable. To not regress I think we have to really to get as much of this done as possible.
Depending on what pitt does we could have a better shot than them as is but otherwise no arguments here
I assume this is ranking the wild card weekend losers. Honestly, fair. Could argue we have a better shot than Pittsburgh if they end up replacing both their QB and HC. I’m guessing they’re probably 5th on this list.
Two playoff teams aren’t coming out of this division next year and I expect New Orleans, Atlanta, and Tampa to all be better.
If we stay static, sure. Improvement needs to be made all around and that includes the coaching not just additions to the roster. Dave was just a inconsistent with his game plans and play calling as Bryce was with his play. I think he needs some fresh eyes on our offense and needs to relinquish play calling and evolve both the passing and running game. Run plays are very pedestrian and predictable which is why I believe we fell off hard once more tape was out. Injuries to the line didn’t help i know but still. So, will they go with the status quo? I don’t believe so. I believe in Dan Morgan to strengthen the roster and have those conversations with Dave.
I get it and it’s fair, but I’d rather be in our position in our division than Pittsburgh or LA. Those two could both end up in 3rd place in their division next year.
Our schedule is tough next year I’m not expecting an easy road back to the playoffs wouldn’t be surprised to miss it. I think we’re heading in the right direction but still lots of work to be done
Bottom half is better than bottom.
Worst playoff team?
– still made the playoffs
– comparing us with
The rams, 49er, eagles, Steelers, bears, packers, Texans, jags, patriots, bills, chargers, broncos, and Seahawks?
Yeah i think ill take it. Last place out of 13 ain’t so bad when its actually 13/32. So bottom half is funny to think about when you take in that it’s actually top 40%
I mean, they’re not wrong. Since we won the division, we’re gonna have a harder schedule this time but we increased our wins every year since 2023. Teams change every offseason, even the teams who were good this season may not be good next season. I think with another strong offseason, we’ll make a deeper playoff run with a possible ceiling of 10-12 wins.
Honestly, I have us over the Steelers next year. That offense stinks and Rodgers is toast. Everyone else should be above us, though.
I’m assuming this is of the 6 that were eliminated? I think that’s fair, especially because all 5 of the other teams have recently made the playoffs which more or less “proves” they’re legit. We have to make it more than once within a few years, and not with an 8-9 record, to prove we can be a legit team. Up and coming, sure, but nothing is a guarantee
But with that being said I would still put us above the Steelers. In a H2H against the Steelers I’d imagine we would be underdogs but I like our odds against them. And not only that but they’ll have a question mark at QB because even if Rodgers gives it another year he’s also just another year older.
If this was ranked by like “general future outlook” moreso than just making the playoffs again next year we’d be higher because of our age. Our oldest WR we used in a *playoff* game is a second-year UDFA. I’d imagine Bryce is the biggest reason for our ranking because he’s a huge IF
I agree mostly, I think we have a better shot than the Steelers especially if the ravens bounce back next year
The division was literally a 3 way tie.
Homer glasses off it’s literally a toss up who wins next year. You can make a case for all 4 teams winning it.
I see no lies.
Our schedule looks brutal. But obviously that can change quickly.
Let’s be honest, we can’t expect to win the division and make the playoffs with an 8-9 record every year.
It’s not wrong. Numbers don’t lie but we still made the playoffs and looked pretty damn good in it.
We’re a younger team, it’s due soon for us
Bryce is ass just say it. We need a defensive draft this year to support his lack of scoring. Downvote if you want want but you haven’t watched the games. He had the ball in the 4th Q and had a 3 n out. He was on center stage and finally ppl are starting to notice his lack of ability.
Fair
Fair.
Number 1 schedule. No LT. 30 mil in space. Gotta resign Cade. Can forget about any big name free agents.
Dan has his work cut out for him this year. Losing Icky really sucks. I think you absolutely have to take a LT in the first or 2nd minimum now. Really needed to spend those elsewhere. Its just gonna be tough. We’ll see.
I think the goal of the offseason has to be to kind of hold the line and look for areas we can be marginally better. Can we be the 18th best passing offense instead of the 26th. Can we be 26th in pass rush win % instead of 32.
Just hold the line, dont get worse in any area, look for areas of modest improvement and if were being honest with ourselves, next year we are probably trying to eek out 9-10 wins and a playoff spot again. Which would be a huge win for us.
Winning the division means our schedule is much harder next year based on pairings. Need a serious influx of talent in key positions.
-69 includes:
-31 vs. the Bills, who are in the second round, in a game started by Andy Dalton.
-29 vs. the Patriots, who are in the second round, in a game that featured 167 punt return yards and a score. The Patriots were outgained.
-13 vs. the Jaguars, who made the playoffs, in the first game of the season.
Coaching and culture carried this team to 8 wins. Talent-wise we’re closer to our preseason over/under of 6.5 wins. The goal for this off-season is to elevate our talent level so we can keep being competitive in our division. I think that’s very doable.
We should assume they can pull off the repeat, as fans.
Realistically, I think it’s likely given Coker and Tet’s emergence. We got great play out of our defense in that playoff loss too, minus the last drive. Special teams showed up too blocking the punt. We showed we can hang with contenders on the biggest stage. Came up short. We won our division fair and square and outplayed opponents all year, even in some of the frustrating losses.
A strong off-season with some confidence in place should solidify it, but I predict a 10-7 record, NFCS Champs, losing in the divisional round to GB.
Coker is entering cornerstone territory
ngl kinda wild our point differential was only 4th worst of any playoff team.
cause like… we were 8-9. we’re the only team NEGATIVE.
most of the spread has 10~12 wins, so out of the top 14 teams in the league, we had 3 with lower point diff?
> Still, there are far too many unknowns to pencil the Panthers any higher than this
Higher than 6? I’m happy we’re this high. I don’t think any Panthers fan would really agree with any of this. There’s a lot to be optimistic about, but also a lot of shaky aspects of our game that we need to tighten up.
Reasonable. The schedule will be harder and the division was a toss up down to the last week.
Gonna be a dickhead and say that I think the Panthers are actually among the most likely to return in the NFC, mainly because of the division.
I really doubt the Falcons, am skeptical about the Bucs, and think the Saints are a year or two away at least. This offseason will be the first of scheming TMac/Coker as a true 1/2, and I think it will pay off
40 comments
I agree, but fuck em anyway.
I mean, can you argue with any part of what they said? If we have an off-season like last year then we’ve got a great shot but we really need to nail it again.
I think that’s fair
Yes it’s going to be tough. We had a bunch of one score games this year. We are also playing 1st place schedule next year.
If we can repeat as division champs we may be legit. If Bryce can bring the sauce, we should be good
We need to keep building a team, and I like the direction this team is going. Its like we figured out how to win games, not that we win every game, but we did win 8. My hope is next year we are able to win games we should. That said, our schedule next year will be harder since we finished in first place. I think 10-7 is a reasonable expectation with 11-6 or 12-5 as a best case scenario.
All fair imo
There is flux in both TB and ATL with new HCs/OCs. Saints still have cap hell they are working through.
If we can have another successful offseason like last year we should be in a good position to repeat in the South.
Tbh this is a very even keeled take, too reasonable actually get this bullshit off reddit.
We have other great players too. Chubba Hubbard, Rico Dowdell, Jalen Coker. CBS is just jealous they got it wrong.
Wouldn’t expect any Panthers love from CBS.
Clearly they are just Bryce haters, saying that he was the bottom half in every statistic.
I can only hope CBS gets a TV next year, or something
On paper we have a very hard schedule and we were very inconsistent this year. I understand their reasoning completely.
We really need another very good offseason. We need an edge that offenses have to account for. We need a real upgrade at linebacker. I think our corners and safeties are actually pretty good. We need at least one more offensive playmaker. Maybe that’s Brooks. All reports are he is ready. The receiver room seems set at the top 2 spots. Is Jimmy Horn the speed guy we need? Maybe. Defenses do take him seriously when he goes deep. Can XL finally pull it together? I don’t know. But I say push both of them if possible. We have good cap room and we can make more if need be. Apparently no matter what happened on the field they were picking up Bryce’s option. So a later round QB to make the backup seems like a good idea if there is a decent one available. And maybe he competes for the first job. That would be good. Chuba is here for the foreseeable and as I mentioned Brooks seems ready to give it a go. But still there is always RB talent late or even UDFA. Maybe grab one.
That’s a lot to ask for one offseason. But it’s doable. To not regress I think we have to really to get as much of this done as possible.
Depending on what pitt does we could have a better shot than them as is but otherwise no arguments here
I assume this is ranking the wild card weekend losers. Honestly, fair. Could argue we have a better shot than Pittsburgh if they end up replacing both their QB and HC. I’m guessing they’re probably 5th on this list.
Two playoff teams aren’t coming out of this division next year and I expect New Orleans, Atlanta, and Tampa to all be better.
If we stay static, sure. Improvement needs to be made all around and that includes the coaching not just additions to the roster. Dave was just a inconsistent with his game plans and play calling as Bryce was with his play. I think he needs some fresh eyes on our offense and needs to relinquish play calling and evolve both the passing and running game. Run plays are very pedestrian and predictable which is why I believe we fell off hard once more tape was out. Injuries to the line didn’t help i know but still. So, will they go with the status quo? I don’t believe so. I believe in Dan Morgan to strengthen the roster and have those conversations with Dave.
I get it and it’s fair, but I’d rather be in our position in our division than Pittsburgh or LA. Those two could both end up in 3rd place in their division next year.
Our schedule is tough next year I’m not expecting an easy road back to the playoffs wouldn’t be surprised to miss it. I think we’re heading in the right direction but still lots of work to be done
Bottom half is better than bottom.
Worst playoff team?
– still made the playoffs
– comparing us with
The rams, 49er, eagles, Steelers, bears, packers, Texans, jags, patriots, bills, chargers, broncos, and Seahawks?
Yeah i think ill take it. Last place out of 13 ain’t so bad when its actually 13/32. So bottom half is funny to think about when you take in that it’s actually top 40%
I mean, they’re not wrong. Since we won the division, we’re gonna have a harder schedule this time but we increased our wins every year since 2023. Teams change every offseason, even the teams who were good this season may not be good next season. I think with another strong offseason, we’ll make a deeper playoff run with a possible ceiling of 10-12 wins.
Honestly, I have us over the Steelers next year. That offense stinks and Rodgers is toast. Everyone else should be above us, though.
I’m assuming this is of the 6 that were eliminated? I think that’s fair, especially because all 5 of the other teams have recently made the playoffs which more or less “proves” they’re legit. We have to make it more than once within a few years, and not with an 8-9 record, to prove we can be a legit team. Up and coming, sure, but nothing is a guarantee
But with that being said I would still put us above the Steelers. In a H2H against the Steelers I’d imagine we would be underdogs but I like our odds against them. And not only that but they’ll have a question mark at QB because even if Rodgers gives it another year he’s also just another year older.
If this was ranked by like “general future outlook” moreso than just making the playoffs again next year we’d be higher because of our age. Our oldest WR we used in a *playoff* game is a second-year UDFA. I’d imagine Bryce is the biggest reason for our ranking because he’s a huge IF
I agree mostly, I think we have a better shot than the Steelers especially if the ravens bounce back next year
The division was literally a 3 way tie.
Homer glasses off it’s literally a toss up who wins next year. You can make a case for all 4 teams winning it.
I see no lies.
Our schedule looks brutal. But obviously that can change quickly.
Let’s be honest, we can’t expect to win the division and make the playoffs with an 8-9 record every year.
It’s not wrong. Numbers don’t lie but we still made the playoffs and looked pretty damn good in it.
We’re a younger team, it’s due soon for us
Bryce is ass just say it. We need a defensive draft this year to support his lack of scoring. Downvote if you want want but you haven’t watched the games. He had the ball in the 4th Q and had a 3 n out. He was on center stage and finally ppl are starting to notice his lack of ability.
Fair
Fair.
Number 1 schedule. No LT. 30 mil in space. Gotta resign Cade. Can forget about any big name free agents.
Dan has his work cut out for him this year. Losing Icky really sucks. I think you absolutely have to take a LT in the first or 2nd minimum now. Really needed to spend those elsewhere. Its just gonna be tough. We’ll see.
I think the goal of the offseason has to be to kind of hold the line and look for areas we can be marginally better. Can we be the 18th best passing offense instead of the 26th. Can we be 26th in pass rush win % instead of 32.
Just hold the line, dont get worse in any area, look for areas of modest improvement and if were being honest with ourselves, next year we are probably trying to eek out 9-10 wins and a playoff spot again. Which would be a huge win for us.
Winning the division means our schedule is much harder next year based on pairings. Need a serious influx of talent in key positions.
-69 includes:
-31 vs. the Bills, who are in the second round, in a game started by Andy Dalton.
-29 vs. the Patriots, who are in the second round, in a game that featured 167 punt return yards and a score. The Patriots were outgained.
-13 vs. the Jaguars, who made the playoffs, in the first game of the season.
Coaching and culture carried this team to 8 wins. Talent-wise we’re closer to our preseason over/under of 6.5 wins. The goal for this off-season is to elevate our talent level so we can keep being competitive in our division. I think that’s very doable.
We should assume they can pull off the repeat, as fans.
Realistically, I think it’s likely given Coker and Tet’s emergence. We got great play out of our defense in that playoff loss too, minus the last drive. Special teams showed up too blocking the punt. We showed we can hang with contenders on the biggest stage. Came up short. We won our division fair and square and outplayed opponents all year, even in some of the frustrating losses.
A strong off-season with some confidence in place should solidify it, but I predict a 10-7 record, NFCS Champs, losing in the divisional round to GB.
Coker is entering cornerstone territory
ngl kinda wild our point differential was only 4th worst of any playoff team.
cause like… we were 8-9. we’re the only team NEGATIVE.
most of the spread has 10~12 wins, so out of the top 14 teams in the league, we had 3 with lower point diff?
> Still, there are far too many unknowns to pencil the Panthers any higher than this
Higher than 6? I’m happy we’re this high. I don’t think any Panthers fan would really agree with any of this. There’s a lot to be optimistic about, but also a lot of shaky aspects of our game that we need to tighten up.
Reasonable. The schedule will be harder and the division was a toss up down to the last week.
Gonna be a dickhead and say that I think the Panthers are actually among the most likely to return in the NFC, mainly because of the division.
I really doubt the Falcons, am skeptical about the Bucs, and think the Saints are a year or two away at least. This offseason will be the first of scheming TMac/Coker as a true 1/2, and I think it will pay off