Wednesday was an unofficial holiday on the sports calendar.
It has been several years filled with ups and downs, adding in a little bit of turbulence for the Carolina Panthers.
Owner David Tepper purchased the franchise in 2018, and things have been shaky to say the least. The Panthers have not won more than seven games in a season during this time. It all came crashing down in 2023 when Tepper became the story and made headlines for throwing a drink at a fan.
The team went through a rebuild ahead of the 2024 season, hiring Dan Morgan as general manager. He has helped make forward progress, bolstering the 53-man roster over the last two offseasons.
The Panthers finished third in the NFC South with a 5-12 record in 2024, an improvement from their previous league-worst 2-15 finish in 2023.
Quarterback Bryce Young is going into his third year under center looking to take a substantial leap in 2025. It will be a pivotal make it or break it season, as the Panthers have quietly improved their roster around him, positioning themselves as an under the radar team to keep an eye on in the NFC South.
This year will be Young’s second season with head coach Dave Canales. The decision to hire the former Tampa Bay offensive coordinator could pay off in a huge way as the franchise has hopes and aspirations that he can unlock and cap into Young’s unique skill set and potential, similar to how he did with Baker Mayfield during his time with the Buccaneers as well as Geno Smith in Seattle.
Embed from Getty ImagesWill Carolina be a surprising team in 2025? Here is a peek at the 17-game schedule for Young and the Panthers in 2025.
Week 1: Sunday, Sept. 7: at Jacksonville Jaguars, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 2: Sunday, Sept. 14: at Arizona Cardinals, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS
Week 3: Sunday, Sept. 14: vs. Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 4: Sunday, Sept. 28: at New England Patriots, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 5: Sunday, Oct. 5: vs. Miami Dolphins, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 6: Sunday, Oct. 12: vs. Dallas Cowboys, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 7: Sunday, Oct. 19: at New York Jets, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 8: Sunday, Oct. 26: vs. Buffalo Bills, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 9: Sunday, Nov. 2: at Green Bay Packers, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 10: Sunday, Nov. 9: vs. New Orleans Saints, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 11: Sunday, Nov. 16: at Atlanta Falcons, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 12: Monday, Nov. 24 (“Monday Night Football”): at San Francisco 49ers, 8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN
Week 13: Sunday, Nov. 30: vs. Los Angeles Rams, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 14: BYE WEEK
Week 15: Sunday, Dec. 14: at New Orleans Saints, 4:25 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 16: Sunday, Dec. 21: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 1:00 p.m. ET, FOX
Week 17: Saturday, Dec. 27: vs. Seattle Seahawks (Time TBD)
Week 18: (Jan. 3-4): at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Time TBD)
Carolina used the eighth overall pick in the 2025 NFL draft to select the top wide receiver, Tetairoa McMillan out of the University of Arizona. He will complement Xavier Legette, whom the Panthers drafted with the 32nd overall pick in 2024. To further support Young in his development, the team signed running back Rico Dowdle from the Dallas Cowboys in free agency, creating a dynamic backfield tag team with 2024 breakout star Chuba Hubbard, who received a much-deserved extension.
The Panthers have strong anchors on the defensive side of the ball, including Derrick Brown and Jaycee Horn. However, the unit still has significant holes, ranking last (32) in the league for both points per game allowed (31.4) and yards per play allowed in 2024. They were also 31st in ESPN’s pass-rush win-rate metric; the Panthers selected edge rushers Nic Scourton (Round 2, Pick 51) and Princely Umanmielen (Round 3, Pick 77) to address these issues in April’s draft.
As a result of finishing third in the NFC South last season, the Panthers will face the Cowboys, Packers and Jaguars. Additionally, they have the advantage of two divisional matchups against the rebuilding Saints, whose quarter, Derek Carr, just retired on Saturday after 11 years in the league.
If they can find a way to split or sweep the Bucs and Falcons in the division, they will be in a great position to improve on their record.
