The Carolina Panthers were somewhat of a live wire in 2025.
Last season, they proved they can beat anybody on any given Sunday by pulling off two massive upsets against NFC powerhouses—the Green Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams. In fact, they almost knocked the Rams—a Super Bowl favorite—out of the playoffs in a closely-contested wild-card matchup.
But while they did punch up with the best of them, the Panthers also played down to their opponents. They suffered an early defeat at the hands of the eventual 3-14 Arizona Cardinals and were swept by the last-place New Orleans Saints.
That who-knows dynamic makes this a (sort of) entertaining team to watch. According to ESPN's annual watchability rankings, they're 21st going into the 2026 season:
Upset kings! Two of the three biggest upsets last season by pregame spread belong to the Panthers, who beat the Packers as 13.5-point underdogs and the Rams as 9.5-point underdogs just four weeks later. In fact, the Panthers were the second team since 1970 to hold a winning record through the first nine games of the season despite being a Vegas underdog in every single game!
Although their penchant for the upset is thrilling, the reason they don't rank higher is a notable lack of truly watchable players.
As ESPN mentioned, second-year wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan is a cool watch. No other Carolina player is mentioned for a good reason, though. If quarterback Bryce Young can bring his game up to a true No. 1 overall pick level, that might change.
If you feel they've been wronged, take comfort in the fact that they're one spot lower than the San Francisco 49ers—who are probably amongst the NFL's most talented teams on paper. The Panthers are also one spot above the Kansas City Chiefs, who have the biggest non-football draw in the NFL and one of the greatest quarterbacks in history.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Where do the Panthers place in ESPN's 2026 'watchability' rankings?
