The Carolina Panthers face a must-win situation in Week 16 of the 2025 NFL season against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. A win could boost their chances to go to the playoffs, and a loss… let’s just say the team doesn’t even want to entertain that possibility.
The Panthers’ playoff probability could go as low as a 5% if they lose to the Buccaneers today. Meanwhile, a win sends them up to 43%. The Buccaneers are underachieving, and the Panthers overachieving, but both teams find themselves 7-7 fighting for the NFC South title.
The Buccaneers were supposed to be a Super Bowl contender, but injuries have absolutely demolished those expectations. As for the Panthers, they weren’t even supposed to be a decent team, and they have overachieved massively but now it’s not time to look back, it’s time to win games.
The Panthers offense is a frisky unit
While there are many doubts over quarterback Bryce Young, the fact is this Panthers offense has been better than expected, without being elite or like that, but just frisky. They have the ninth-best rushing offense thanks to running backs Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard, who have combined for 1,902 scrimmage yards and 11 touchdowns this season.
Also, rookie wideout Tet McMillan has done great things in his first year in the NFL. McMillan has 851 yards and six touchdowns this season. While the passing offense is not awesome in Carolina, McMillan is.
The Panthers could end up doing wrong decisions if they go to the playoffs
While going to the playoffs could be one of the stories of the season, the fact is that the Panthers could definitely find themselves tricked by going into January football. More than likely that would be a one-and-done scenario, but more than that, the team could believe it’s closer to big success and get unnecessarily aggressive in the offseason. Only time will tell us whether this season really is the start of something bigger.