The Carolina Panthers have made a lot of progress over the last two years after bottoming out in 2023. Head coach Dave Canales and general manager Dan Morgan deserve a lot of credit for the improvement, but 2026 is likely to be their biggest challenge yet.
In addition to facing a far tougher regular-season schedule, thanks to their first-place finish in 2025, the Panthers have already been hit with a flurry of devastating setbacks. They’ll be heading into the campaign without their two starting offensive tackles in Ikem Ekwonu and Taylor Moton, and have already lost starting outside linebacker Nic Scourton and rookie wide receiver Chris Brazzell II to season-ending knee injuries.
With the regular season one month away, this team suddenly looks more vulnerable.
According to a projection from Moe Moton at Bleacher Report, the Panthers will only finish in third place in the NFC South this season, ending the year with a 7-10 record. He expects them to fall apart during a tough midseason stretch.
Moton writes:
The Panthers are headed for significant regression. In 2025, they lost three of their last four regular-season games but still clinched a playoff berth with an 8-9 record. The NFC South is still a weak division, but one of these teams (the Saints) will finish above .500. There's a reason Carolina is hesitant to give quarterback Bryce Young an extension; he barely eclipsed 3,000 passing yards last season. Between Weeks 8 and 11 against the Green Bay Packers (on short rest), Denver Broncos, Saints and Baltimore Ravens, this team will fall apart on a losing streak.
It's entirely possible that this scenario will come to pass. However, it's worth pointing out that the Panthers are slated for an even more difficult stretch earlier in the season.
That starts in Week 4, when Carolina hosts the Detroit Lions for a Sunday night showdown. They’ll then face a handful of postseason contenders including the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 6 and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 7 before embarking on that aforementioned run from Weeks 8 to 11.
Overall, the Panthers—according to Sharp Analytics—is set for the third-toughest slate in the entire league.
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: NFL analyst predicts 'significant regression' for Panthers in 2026