The Carolina Panthers suffered a huge blow to their playoff chances in Week 12. They had a very winnable game after picking off Brock Purdy three times in one half, and a win would've put them in sole possession of first place in the NFC South.
Instead, a complete dud on offense dropped them back to .500 and proved that their playoff case was pretty flimsy to begin with. But the Panthers aren't totally out of it, and there's a path to the playoffs if they can do one thing, according to one insider.
Bryce Young's improvement can get Panthers into playoffs
Tetairoa McMilla
Nov 24, 2025; Santa Clara, California, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) makes a touchdown catch against San Francisco 49ers cornerback Renardo Green (0) during the second half at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images | Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images
The standings, given that the Panthers are just one game back in the loss column, and the record, at 6-6, suggest that Carolina might be overperforming. Anyone who watched the Monday Night Football game can see that this is probably not an actual .500 team, nor an actual playoff contender.
But despite all that, they are still alive, and the banged-up and reeling Tampa Bay Buccaneers can't put them away just yet. So with that said, one insider believes the Panthers can sneak into the playoffs, but they need one thing to happen.
"The Panthers (6-6) have an outside chance to leapfrog the Bucs in the South if Bryce Young can bounce back from a poor performance against the 49ers on Monday Night Football," Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports said.
Young was bad, but that claim extends to the entire offense. If Carolina does want to get to the playoffs, they have to be more consistent on that side of the ball. Dave Canales has to figure out how to consistently call games. Young has to figure out how to play consistently week to week instead of high and low.
The receivers can't drop passes or step out of bounds before catching the ball. Pass-catchers need to run the right routes and not drift into the wrong areas of the field. The entire operation on offense, save maybe the running game (which needs to be used more consistently by Canales), needs to be better. If that happens, then with two matchups with Tampa remaining, a playoff berth isn't a crazy idea.
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