If you don’t know what to make of the 7-6 Carolina Panthers you’re definitely not alone. On any given Sunday the Panthers can look like the most-pathetic franchise in professional sports not owned by Jerry Reinsdorf, or they could look like a dangerous team on the rise.
It’s fair to wonder which version is the real Carolina Panthers – or if it’s something in-between. While they still have plenty of doubters, there’s also a growing chorus of believers in this team.
The latest to join the song is Albert Breer at Sports Illustrated, who’s named the Panthers a “real threat” to the NFL in his latest MMQB column.
MMQB on the Carolina Panthers
“It’s probably time to start taking the Panthers seriously. I’d still pick the Buccaneers to win the NFC South. But Carolina’s rolling into its Week 14 bye, only a half game back of the four-time defending division champs, with two shots at Tampa coming over the season’s final four weeks.”
“And after beating the Rams on Sunday, it’s fair to say they’ve got every right to feel pretty good about how things are going to go the rest of the way. Mostly, because the numbers would indicate that this 31–28 win over a team many regarded as the NFL’s best wasn’t a fluke.”
Nov 30, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales looks on after the game against the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium. | Scott Kinser-Imagn Images
There will be no shortage of folks who claim that it was in fact a fluke, despite this being the second time this season that the Panthers have knocked off the team with the best record in the NFC.
Once is an accident – twice is not. Three times is a pattern. It’ll only take one more signature win over a supposedly far-superior team to prove that Carolina is capable of beating anybody – at least when they’re on their A-game. (Seattle is tied with LA and Chicago for first place and visits Week 17).
At this point their options are pretty limited, but if they could find a way to boost their pass rush with a meaningful contributor between now and their next game in two weeks against the Saints, it would give them a real puncher’s chance to win their first division title in a decade.
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