Since the NFL’s main objective is to make money and not to appease my sincere appreciation for symmetry, they’ve added a 17th game to the regular season and ruined the neat four quarters of four games breakdown. Due to this unsightly fifth game in this article, we’ll call this the final stretch of the season – but for all intents and purposes, it’s the fourth quarter. Okay? Okay.
Let’s take a look at who the Carolina Panthers will face during the final push for the NFC South crown and playoff berth
and take our best guess at the outcomes.
Week 14: vs New Orleans Saints
Just like the third quarter of games, the final stretch of the season begins with a division battle with the New Orleans Saints. In yesterday’s breakdown, I predicted the Saints to take down the Panthers in a bit of a shoot out. To this point, Daniel and I have predicted the Panthers to be sitting at a 7-5 record coming into this match-up.
With their eyes on the prize, coming in on a 3 game win streak, and entering a stretch with four of their final give games in Bank of America Stadium, I’d like to think the Panthers get the proverbial monkey off their back and take down the Saints.
Final: Panthers 20 – Saints 10
Week 15: vs Cincinnati Bengals
If I called the Minnesota Vikings offseason the most odd, I think the most out of character offseason belongs to the Cincinnati Bengals. Normally considered the most miserly of the NFL franchises, the Bengals opened up the wallet and made some big time moves. None more impactful than sending the 10th overall pick in exchange for one of the game’s elite defensive tackles, Dexter Lawerence. Prior to that, though, they made some other substantial investments along the defense including Jonathan Allen, Boye Mafe and Bryan Cook. The Trey Hendrickson contract saga ended with his departure and the team also lost Joseph Ossai. Without a top pick, they still came out with a couple of disruptive defensive players, picking up Cashius Howell and Tacario Davis on Day 2 of the NFL Draft.
Despite the improvements of the Bengals, so long as the Panthers secondary can remember they are playing tackle football and not preparing for the 2028 Olympic flag football team and bring down Ja’Marr Chase when provided 5 opportunities, they should have a good chance to win the battle of the big cats.
Final: Panthers 23 – Bengals 21
Week 16: @ Pittsburgh Steelers
The Panthers final bout of their series versus the AFC North takes them to Pittsburgh. Another team who faced a surprising amount of upheaval, starting with the voluntary departure of Mike Tomlin and subsequent hire of Mike McCarthy. Losing guard Isaac Seumalo could hurt, but a number of interesting acquisitions have the roster poised to take a step forward. Acquiring Michael Pittman from the Colts while bolstering their secondary with the additions of Jaquan Brisker and Jamal Dean should have a strong positive impact. Then, of course, the Panthers will need to be ready to buckle up for the newest Steelers running back, Rico Dowdle.
For those of you keeping track at home, the all-time record against the Steelers sits at an unsettling 1-7. Personally, I’ve learned the lesson to have low expectations and prepare for a sea of terrible towels to be waving regardless of where the game is being played. Maybe Bryce Young and co. can redeem the Cardiac Cats of the past, but they’re probably due for a stinker.
Final: Steelers 17 – Panthers 9
Week 17: vs Seattle Seahawks
For the second season in a row, the Panthers and Dave Canales will go up against the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17. This time, at least, the now reigning champs come to Charlotte. The Seahawks offseason has not been an ideal one, as they’ve lost some serious talent on multiple levels of the team. Losing offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak to the Las Vegas Raiders hurts, so does running back Kenneth Walker, outside linebacker Boye Mafe, safety Coby Bryant and cornerback Riq Woolen all landing with different teams as well. At least they didn’t wait long to find replacements, as Jadarian Price, Bud Clark and Julian Neal were all drafted as their direct replacements.
While the list of departures seems notable, the Seahawks still have one of the most formidable rosters in the NFL. Particularly, head coach Mike McDonald’s defensive infrastructure is likely the league’s best and the personnel supporting it is still loaded with talent. Despite the Seahawks maybe taking a slight step back and the Panthers hopefully taking a big step forward, the Seahawks are still a tough opponent to overcome.
Final: Seahawks 23 – Panthers 16
Week 18: vs Atlanta Falcons
It all comes down to this. With the first contest taking place all the way back in Week 2, these two teams will look wildly different after they’ve each had 14 games to settle in to their identity for the 2026 season.
Regardless of which southpaw quarterback the Falcons start, the duo of Young and Canales have the dirty birds number late in the season. With a full season under his belt as the official play caller, offensive coordinator Brad Idzik might dial up another all-timer against the Falcons as the Panthers finish the season with a win, a 10-7 record and both eyes locked onto NFL Wild Card Weekend.
Final: Panthers 38 – Falcons 27
Keep pounding.
