Latest Season Prediction Sees Panthers Endure Disappointing Campaign

When a team wins its division and puts up a good fight in the playoffs, it's natural to expect that team to compete again in the next season.

That's the situation the Carolina Panthers find themselves in. Nobody expected the team to win the NFC South last year, but they did, and they put up a valiant fight against the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs.

The team responded by making some big-time additions this offseason, so the expectations remain high. The problem is, the Panthers have a very tough schedule in 2026, and it's fair to question whether quarterback Bryce Young is ready to take another step forward.

As a result, not everyone thinks the Panthers will return to the playoffs in 2026.

Latest 2026 Prediction Has Panthers Finishing in Third Place

Moe Moton of Bleacher Report recently predicted each NFL team's record in 2026. For the most part, there's nothing too surprising in Moton's rankings. That is, until you get to the NFC South section.

Moton is predicting the Panthers to finish in third place in the division with a 7-10 record. Moton has the New Orleans Saints winning the division with a 9-8 record and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers finishing in second with an 8-9 record.

"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," Moton boldly predicted.

Moton thinks the Panthers are headed for "significant regression," which is interesting, because the roster is undeniably more talented than it was last year. Moton then pointed to Bryce Young as his main reason for not believing in the Panthers this season.

"There's a reason Carolina is hesitant to give quarterback Bryce Young an extension; he barely eclipsed 3,000 passing yards last season," Moton said.

That Young criticism is not entirely fair. The Panthers prefer to be a run-first, defensive team. Young is likely never going to throw for 4,500 yards like quarterbacks in other offenses do. The Panthers just need Young to be solid and stable, and he proved in 2025 that he can handle that role.

The Panthers do have a very hard schedule, there's no denying that. The thing is, as Moton mentioned, the NFC South is still very winnable, so as long as the Panthers take care of business in those games, they'll be just fine.