Dec 8, 2024; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) scrambles out of the end zone under pressure from Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Josh Sweat (19) during the fourth quarter at Lincoln Financial Field. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-Imagn Images Eric Hartline-Imagn Images

Panthers predicted to host Super Bowl team in Wild-Card round of NFL playoffs

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated May 18, 2025 6:58 PM ET

You have to go back to the 2015 NFL season to find the last time the Carolina Panthers not only captured the NFC South, but came away with a postseason win. Under head coach Ron Rivera and quarterback Cam Newton, the team started 14-0, finished 15-1 and coasted to a division title. The Panthers outlasted the Seattle Seahawks in the divisional round, 31-24, then routed the Arizona Cardinals, 49-15, in the NFC title game.

Newton and company were humbled by the Denver Broncos’ defense in Super Bowl 50. The Panthers were a wild card team in 2017, but fell to the Saints in the first round of the playoffs.

Via Henry McKenna of Fox Sports, Dave Canales’s club will not only reach the postseason in 2025, but the Panthers will unseat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South.

Say it ain’t so. If the panned out, the #panthers would be the only team represented from the NFC South pic.twitter.com/qwgLPueP2T
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“Yes, I have the Panthers in the fourth spot after taking home the NFC South title” said McKenna. “Few were paying attention at the end of last year, but Bryce Young put together an eight-game run that completely changed my perspective on him—and coach Dave Canales. There could be something special brewing in Carolina. It won’t take much to win the NFC South. It might simply take an aligned coach and a quarterback…Carolina is tied for the fifth-easiest strength of schedule, according to last year’s records. Things are lining up.”

That’s the good news. With the Panthers grabbing the fourth seed in the NFC, they obviously would be hosting a playoff game for the first time since 2015. The projected opponent? The reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, who McKenna has settling for a wild card berth as he predicts the Washington Commanders as NFC East champions. He also has Nick Sirianni’s club coming away with a 31-17 victory at Charlotte.

This article first appeared on Carolina Panthers on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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