Jalen Coker celebrates a late touchdown that nearly won the wild card against the Rams on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Carolina Panthers)
One wouldn’t normally think of a season-ending loss as a victory, but it happened Saturday at Bank of America Stadium, when the Carolina Panthers fell 34-31 on a late score by the Los Angeles Rams in the Panthers’ first playoff appearance in eight years.
More than 73,000 rabid fans brought back memories of the team’s 2015 Super Bowl run, when it was the norm to see Bank of America Stadium rocking. As if to usher in this point, that team’s QB Cam Newton was back at the Bank to clobber the Keep Pounding drum before kickoff.
“It was unbelievable,” head coach Dave Canales said of the atmosphere after the game. “Bank of America Stadium was absolutely electric. It really helps when we have our whole fan base behind us and what an amazing special night in that way.”
Hopes were up after the Panthers finished last season on a positive note, but the doubt began to creep back in early when the team lost their first two games of the season. Upsetting the Green Bay Packers 16-13 in Green Bay in early November started the turnaround and, by the time the Panthers upset the Rams by a field goal in Week 13, people were buying in.
Though they only won one game thereafter, the team was able to sew up a division championship in the awful NFC South, earning a home playoff game for the first time in a decade — leaving everything on the field in a loss to the Rams on Saturday night that just might have brought some real hope back to this franchise.
Watching the Panthers this season was a true Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde experience as the team alternated wins and losses for 10 straight weeks at one point. Now that we’re off the rollercoaster, it’s time to ask, do the Panthers stand on solid ground?
Carolina finally found their coach
Canales has changed the mindset of this team to believe they can win as long as they buy in … and buy in they have. They believe in the coach and the process he’s putting forth. They have started to see results on the field and in the stands, as seeing that crowd Saturday must have demonstrated how much fun it can be to play football in Charlotte.
Though I’ve been impressed with his leadership abilities, at times I wonder if calling the plays and making all the decisions is too much for a coach who only worked one season as an offensive coordinator before getting hired for the job. I nearly had a conniption when he chose to go for it on fourth down in his own territory early in the first quarter on Saturday, then had Bryce Young throw the ball instead of calling for a run to grab the short yardage that was needed.
Perhaps it was just another callback to 2015 and “Riverboat Ron” Rivera. Canales likes to gamble in those situations but he’s not playing with a full house and needs to understand his team’s limitations. Perhaps OC Brad Idzik could take over play-calling duties or Canales could hire someone he feels comfortable with making those decisions.
Canales wants to establish the running game to help control the ball and the clock while opening opportunities for the passing game, but at times he appears to simply ignore those goals for some long shot at glory.
While Canales is an offensive coach, only New Orleans scored less points in the NFC than the Panthers did with just over 18 a game. Having scored just 311 points while giving up 380, the offense needs to improve in 2026 if the Panthers want to take another jump. And that brings us to quarterback Bryce Young.
What do we know about Bryce Young after three seasons?
General manager Dan Morgan announced at a press conference on Tuesday that the Carolina Panthers unsurprisingly planned to pick up the fifth-year option on Bryce, stating that the young QB “has shown flashes of greatness this year against high-level competition.”
This is true, but there’s no escaping Young’s size limitations, which will continue to limit the heights he can achieve (pun intended). For him to become a top QB in the league, everything has to go right — and continue going right. The offensive front needs to hold the line so he’s not running for his life and the running backs need to help control the ball so he can mix in the passing game.
Despite his stature, Young has proven his toughness. I admire him for going the extra distance to get his rushing touchdown on Saturday, not sliding for a first down in a crowded red zone. He doesn’t show fear in those situations, demonstrating leadership and earning the respect of his teammates.
Bryce young runs one in during Saturday’s wild card game against the Rams. (Photo courtesy of Carolina Panthers)
And Young has the talent to go with his toughness. He’s known to throw a nice deep ball but also threw a beautiful 8-yard fade to Jalen Coker in the end zone for a late touchdown to give the Panthers the lead Saturday, likely the biggest play of his young career.
He doesn’t have the zip a lot of other quarterbacks have and, while he runs reasonably well and can be elusive, he’s not particularly fast. He doesn’t appear to be a quarterback you win because of, but he is a quarterback you can win with and it’s impossible not to respect him.
When asked what he’s learned about himself this year after Saturday’s game, Young said he doesn’t look at things through that lens.
“I don’t think I’m a big picture, philosophical, ‘who am I’ type of guy,” he told reporters. “I’m somebody who is going to come in every day and give my all. I want to do whatever that benefits the team, so I think for me it’s just about improvement, trying to be better for sure.”
Elsewhere on the roster
Drafting WR Tetairoa McMillan with their first-round pick last year proved to be a stroke of genius. McMillan gave Young a receiver who stays on the same page with him and offers a target who can go and get the ball, regularly finding openings in the defense. He ended the season with 70 catches for 1,014 yards and is expected to be voted Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2025.
Fellow Jalen Coker has become the threat the Carolina Panthers hoped Xavier Legette would be.
“I definitely believe that the sky is the limit for the two of us,” McMillan said of the impressive duo heading into the offseason on Saturday.
Tetairoa McMillan reels in a catch against the Rams on Saturday. (Photo courtesy of Carolina Panthers)
That makes the failure of second-year wideout Xavier Legette this season that much more disheartening, especially considering the Panthers traded up to get him in the late first round in 2024.
Legette has fallen behind Coker on the depth chart. He doesn’t run good routes or understand how to position himself for sideline catches to stay inbounds. At times he has looked like Edward Scissorhands trying to catch a pass.
Chuba Hubbard wasn’t as potent as he was last year when he earned a new contract. With injuries slowing him down, newcomer Rico Dowdle took a lot of his carries, becoming a force early in the season and finishing with over 1,000 yards despite slowing down later in the campaign.
As for Hubbard, who barely broke 500 yards on the ground, it was a season he would probably like to put in the rear-view mirror. He may get another chance to prove himself next season as Dowdle is likely to move on through free agency.
The defense improved this season and Canales wants defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero back for the next run. Having Derrick Brown back in the middle of the line was a big help, but they need to improve their pass rush, add an inside linebacker that can be a difference-maker, and bring on another safety.
The offense still needs help on the line, especially following the “significant” injury to Ikem Ekwonu in Saturday’s game. They’ll also need more offensive weapons to help put more points on the board.
What does the future look like?
Losing is always a disappointment, but the Panthers should be proud of what they accomplished. Despite limping into the playoffs on a losing record, the team nearly pulled off a playoff win against a team that was favored by more than 10 points, refusing to quit after falling behind early.
Last year I wrote that the strong finish to the 2024-25 regular season meant the Panthers fanbase should be as excited as any 5-12 fanbase could possibly be. Now following an 8-9 season and a bounce in the first round of the playoffs, I think the trajectory holds up. Progress has been made.
Veteran guard Austin Corbett, late into his third season with the Panthers a few weeks ago, seemed to agree as he and his teammates chased a divisional championship.
“This is the most fun you’re going to have playing this game,” he told me. “Playing meaningful football and winning a division is everything in this league.”
Fans are excited again and Bank of American Stadium no longer looks like the Panthers are the road team. That’s not everything, but it’s a great start. There’s still work to do, but the roar is back as Panthers fans can’t wait to see what’s next.
