The primetime Carolina Panthers reared their ugly heads once again. This was a game ripe for the taking, especially after the first half. Instead, the Panthers, who routinely play poorly on national television, laid an egg once again. After such a good game last week, this one was outrageously disappointing.
This team isn't quite there yet
Pretenders fade when the lights get bright, and the Panthers faded tonight. It's totally fine to be a pretender at this stage with how bad the Panthers have been. Anyone realistically expecting playoffs heading in 2025 was fooling themselves, and we should now know definitively that it's out of the question.
The defense was on one
Mike Jackso
Nov 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Carolina Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson (2) reacts after an interception against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-Imagn Images | Kyle Terada-Imagn Images
It's really a shame a semi-competent offense didn't show up much tonight, because it could've been a laugher. The Panthers' defense didn't get much pressure, but they were pretty excellent in coverage. They forced Brock Purdy into one of his worst starts yet, and they shut down most players not named Christian McCaffrey.
Dave Canales, Bryce Young forgot what they learned last week
Very disappointed in this play calling. Very conservative pass game. Didn't think that would be the case after last week.
— Chris McClain (@macwfnz) November 25, 2025
The bipolar Panthers struck again on offense. Bryce Young struggled, but the playcalling was also not good whatsoever. A pass on first and goal from the two with heavy personnel turned into a pick. Then on third and goal from about the five was a screen to Chuba Hubbard that predictably went backwards.
Those are just a couple of examples of how both parties looked night and day from last week. This was not remotely a good defense that the Panthers were up against, but they made every single play look really difficult.
Young was not good, but it's more disappointing that Canales seemed not to know what to do in any spot. He called the wrong plays, punted when he probably shouldn't have, and just did not seem to have his offense ready to go to start or after halftime.
Canales even opted not to take a made PAT to cut it to seven, instead going for two after a penalty, and they couldn't execute. They could've been down seven and had the chance to pin the 49ers deep on the kick, but Canales outsmarted himself yet again. If he was going to go for it, why not run it from one yard out with Dowdle or Hubbard against a bad run defense?
Injuries loomed large
CMC with the TD. #Panthers are down to their fourth and fifth ILBs, their fifth RG and their fourth outside corner.
— Mike Kaye (@mike_e_kaye) November 25, 2025
Down a pair of linebackers, Claudin Cherilus went out with a concussion. Chandler Zavala went down, and this was with an already-weak offensive line. Then Jaycee Horn, who had two first-half picks, left with a concussion and didn't return. A'Shawn Robinson had to leave the game, too. Corey Thornton, who was in for Horn, suffered an injury, too. Krys Barnes left with, you guessed it, a concussion, the injury of the night.
Wide receivers couldn't do anything
It may have been the scheme, and it may have been some defensive effort, but the Panthers couldn't get anyone open whatsoever. There was nothing down the field. Bryce Young had to check down or scramble so often because the wide receivers and pass-catchers were nowhere to be found.
Running back committee might be back
Rico Dowdle didn't have a great game. Chuba Hubbard looked more like the 2024 version of himself. Plus, the touches seemed to be a little more evenly distributed again. That's the second week in a row where things have seemed to tilt back to a split, so that's something to monitor moving forward.
Bryce Young wasn't as bad as you think
Bryce Youn
Nov 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) drops back to pass against the San Francisco 49ers during the first half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
Two interceptions are not good, but the second came after a missed, and rather blatant, penalty not called. Tetairoa McMillan was held, so he could not get to the spot where the ball landed, and the DB intercepted it. The first interception was bad, but he was otherwise pretty solid. A few really nice plays were erased by offensive penalties. Once Canales opened up the playbook, Young played so much better.
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