The Carolina Panthers schedule is officially out, and one analyst believes the year will not go in their favor. Despite finishing with a 5-12 record, the team finished the year on a high note with quarterback Bryce Young finally playing like a franchise quarterback. The team already had a strong offensive line, but general manager Dan Morgan and head coach Dave Canales spent the offseason fixing the defense with players like Tre’Von Moehrig and draft picks Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen.
However, despite these additions, Bleacher Report‘s Moe Moton believes the Panthers will finish with a 4-13 record in 2025, largely thanks to their schedule.
“…Young struggled against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and so did his offensive line. He completed 53.6% of his passes and took five sacks in that Week 17 game,” Moton writes. “In the upcoming term, Young will face four playoff teams from the previous season…Young still has a lot to prove against formidable defenses.”
Bleacher Report Has Bleak Prediction For Panthers Schedule
Nobody expects the Carolina Panthers to be a Super Bowl contender next year, but 4-13 feels like too harsh a prediction. The jury is still out on Bryce Young – while he finished the year on a high note, it came in a small sample, and he could theoretically regress. However, there are some problems with Moton’s analysis. While Young did struggle in Week 17, he played well during the team’s first matchup with the Buccaneers. Even though he didn’t get the win, he finished the contest with a 79.2 PFF grade, the second-best on the offense.
Even if Moton believes the Panthers aren’t ready to compete with true contenders (a fair assessment), there are enough weak teams on the schedule. Carolina plays in the NFC South and should have a few winnable matchups against a rebuilding Saints team and a young but untested Falcons squad. Additionally, they also face similar teams in the New England Patriots, New York Jets, Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins, and Jacksonville Jaguars. While they won’t challenge for the top seed in the conference, they have the talent to win eight or nine games and compete in a weak division.
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