The Carolina Panthers (7-6) won’t be suiting up for action this Sunday, thanks to the welcomed relief of the Week 14 bye. When the team returns in Week 15, they’ll face divisional opponents in three of their last four games of the regular season.
With a chance to reach the playoffs for the first time since 2017, the Panthers will need to bring their A-game out of the break.
What Do the Carolina Panthers Do Best?
In one of the most resonating moments of the 2025 Panthers’ season thus far, head coach Dave Canales addressed the team in the locker room after the Week 13 home victory against the then-NFC-best Los Angeles Rams, saying, “They still haven’t seen our best football yet.”
This young Carolina team has fought bouts of inconsistency and a lack of complementary play this season. The emotional roller coaster has been like getting a free, deluxe car wash, only to park under a family of well-fed pigeons at your next stop.
Canales went on to add, “We’re going to put this thing together — the whole thing, right? But it’s about how we battle. Making plays when it counts.” Putting the pieces of the puzzle together is the final step. Let’s take a look at the pieces of Carolina’s ‘best football’.
Bryce Young and the Panthers’ Passing Attack
Despite all the boisterous ruckus about Bryce Young’s performances, the third-year quarterback has produced 2,337 passing yards and 18 touchdowns to nine interceptions (and four lost fumbles). The passing yards rank 19th-best in the league, and his 18 touchdowns thrown are the 15th most.
Per PFF data, Young’s highest passer rating (132.2) comes on throws of 20+ yards to the outside left of the field. He’s completed 6 of 13 for 175 yards and three TDs with zero INTs. Breaking down Young’s proficiency by pass depth: he boasts a 104.9 rating on short throws (0-10 yards, 81.6% completions, 1,011 yards, eight TDs to two INTs); 57.7 on intermediate (10-20, 45.7%, 564 yards, three TDs and five INTs); and 104.2 throwing deep (20+, 43.8%, 406 yards, six TDs and two INTs).
Rounding out the passing profile are Young’s attempts behind the line of scrimmage, in which he’s thrown for 366 yards, one TD, and zero INT, on 90.2% completions to the tune of a 97.1 rating.
Young has been efficient on play action concepts, registering a 101.1 passer rating in comparison to his 83.4 on non-play action attempts.
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Rookie Tetairoa McMillan has seen most deep passes go his way. His 129.2 passer rating when targeted is second-best on the team, but that comes over 16 targets, compared to Rico Dowdle’s single target (158.3 rating) and Jalen Coker’s two (also 158.3). McMillan has been the main deep threat. His 76.9 rating ranks No. 34 in PFSN’s WRi metric, which tracks wide receiver impact.
Dowdle, Hubbard Lead the Way Running the Ball
The running back tandem of Rico Dowdle and Chuba Hubbard drives the Carolina Panthers’ success. The offensive line handles the less-glorified, yet obviously vital work.
In six of the Panthers’ seven victories this season, the running back duo eclipsed the 100-yard rushing milestone. The only time they did not was in Week 11 against the Atlanta Falcons. Carolina is 0-6 in games where Dowdle and Hubbard do not combine to surpass the century mark on the ground.
The Panthers’ most effective ground attack has been on outside zone concepts, where the team is picking up 6.6 yards per attempt. Per FTN, Carolina is running outside zone on 17.6% of rushing attempts.
Dowdle, fittingly, has enjoyed his most success on outside runs. To the right side, on rushes outside the tight end, Dowdle averages 9.3 yards per carry (22 carries). Six of those carries have gone for 10+ yards, including his season-long 53-yard tote. Dowdle is the No. 9 back with an 82.7 PFSN RBi score.
Hubbard’s best yards per carry (4.6) comes from running to the right outside and through the left side C gap, where he has 19 carries for 87 of his 433 rushing yards this season. On third downs, he has prevented any quarterback pressures in 26 pass-blocking snaps.
Defense Stepping Up Its Game
The Panthers’ defense was historically poor in 2024. Restoring this unit to its franchise glory was projected to take years. It still has a ways to go, but this group has drastically improved their play and production on the ball.
Cornerback Jaycee Horn is tied for second in the NFL with five interceptions. Horn’s running mate on the other side, Mike Jackson, has been playing outstanding football. Jackson has three interceptions. His most recent came in Week 13, and he returned it for a touchdown off Matthew Stafford.
Jackson is allowing a 65.4 passer rating, while Horn’s figure is 84.9. Mike Jackson is the No. 19-ranked CB in PFSN’s CBi metric (83.3).
The Carolina pass rush still needs to improve its production. However, Derrick Brown’s return to the lineup this season has brought results — he already has a career-best four sacks. Brown has also accounted for seven passes defended from his defensive lineman alignment. His 35 stops rank ninth among all defensive linemen in the league. Brown’s teammate A’Shawn Robinson has made 34 stops, tying him for tenth.
Rookie EDGE Nic Scourton is tied for second-most sacks by a rookie defender this season with his three. Scourton has been crucial for the Carolina defense, especially after Pat Jones II suffered a season-ending injury in the first half. Scourton has proven to be a true three-down defender, excelling in edge setting, coverage, and pass-rush potential.
Safety Tre’von Moehrig’s 81 total tackles are the ninth-most by a defensive back. His 39 stops are second only to the Denver Broncos’ Talanoa Hufanga’s 40. Moehrig has also produced two sacks, which tie him for fifth-most by a defensive back.
Linebacker Christian Rozeboom’s 91 tackles are the most of any Panthers defender so far. That’s despite him missing the past two games.
The flashes of high-level play are clear as day for the Carolina Panthers. It’s just a matter of stringing those flashes together and doing it consistently. As Canales said to close his victory speech last Sunday, “But the bottom line is, we just fight. We don’t know how to do anything else but just keep fighting.”
