It’s somewhat surprising for both teams for different reasons, but Monday’s Week 12 finale features an unexpectedly crucial matchup between playoff hopefuls.
San Francisco has needed to weather an endless onslaught of injuries just to make it to 7-4. The inability to piece together a healthy roster on both sides of the ball has limited the 49ers to third place in the NFC West, meaning it is imperative they win games such as this one in a loaded wild-card race.
Unlike the Niners, who have for so long been a juggernaut when working with an intact roster, the Panthers are outperforming expectations established from years of disappointment.
Carolina last reached the postseason during the 2017 campaign, and in the seven-year stretch since has eclipsed five wins just twice. The resurgent Panthers already have six victories with six games left to play, and they are well within reach of the NFC South-leading Buccaneers (6-4) considering the teams still have two games remaining against each other.
For those dates with Tampa Bay to matter, though, the Panthers must keep producing positive results during a brutal stretch run that includes only one more opponent with a losing record. That slate begins with a prime-time outing versus the 49ers.
