Most NFL analysts seem to believe that the Carolina Panthers will take a step back this season.
Yes they won the NFC South, but only on a three-way tie-breaker after finishing with the same 8-9 record as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. Their -69 point differential indicates they were more of a 6-11 team, in any case.
The Panthers will also be facing a far more difficult schedule this year thanks to their first-place finish. So it should come as no great surprise if they do finish with fewer wins in the upcoming campaign.
However, there's one great unknown factor that may change the dynamic—how much better starting quarterback Bryce Young will (or won't) be. Bleacher Report has appropriately named Young's evolution as the one reason
not to overlook the Panthers, as analyst Alex Kay writes:
Bryce Young's development transformed Carolina from a basement-dwelling rebuilding program into legitimate NFC South contender. His ascension from potential bust to possible franchise signal-caller has shifted the league's hierarchy, making the Panthers a team to watch this season... With Young continuing to improve and confidence growing throughout the organization, the Panthers have every reason to believe they're capable of making an even deeper postseason run.
The 2023 No. 1 overall pick has been inconsistent and often unproductive over his three-year career. But when he's on, he can hang with the best of them.
In Week 11 of last season, Young threw for a franchise-record 448 yards on an Atlanta team that came in with the stingiest pass defense in the league. He also led Carolina to huge upsets over the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field in Week 9 and the Los Angeles Rams at Bank of America Stadium in Week 13.
And as an encore, he nearly pushed the Panthers past the Rams once again in the wild-card round—where he pieced together a go-ahead drive late in the fourth quarter.
If Young can put forth those types of clutch performances more often, then Carolina will catch a lot more eyes in 2026.
Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.
This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Bryce Young's development named best reason not to overlook Panthers
