Panthers' prime-time return vs. 49ers ranked worst Monday Night Football game of 2025

Last year the Carolina Panthers were considered so bad that the league didn't bother to schedule them for any prime-time games - meaning no Sunday Night Football games, no Monday Night Football games, and not even a heinous Thursday night divisional game to be found.

This year the Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints and Cleveland Browns got the same treatment from the schedule makers. Meanwhile, the Panthers got only one game in prime time. In Week 12 they will be visiting the San Francisco 49ers in a matchup that The Athletic is calling the worst Monday Night Football game of the entire 2025 NFL season.

"The Panthers have suffered six consecutive seasons of double-digit losses. They didn't play a single prime-time game during the 2024 season, and there was a reason. Carolina (and Bryce Young) hope to show growth in 2025, but a date with the 49ers sounds like a rather lopsided affair, and not exactly a highly intriguing watch for a "Monday Night Football" audience."

Tough scene.

The Niners had a pretty rough year themselves in 2024, finishing with just one more win (6-11) than the Panthers. However, they had a pretty good excuse in that they were plagued by injuries, including multiple injuries to superstar running back Christian McCaffrey that sidelined him for all but four games.

The NFL seems to be expecting a bounce-back year from the 49ers, as they have them scheduled for five prime-time games. However, in the interim the Niners have lost a lot of their best role players as they prepared to give Brock Purdy a massive new deal that averages $53 million a year. Then again, Deebo Samuel was the ony truly talented guy they lost - and the rest of their blue chip pieces are still in place. San Francisco should still be considered a conference contender.

The Panthers will have to prove that they are at least a potential playoff team before anyone starts taking them seriously and stops putting them on lists like this one. A lot will happen between now and Week 12, but we'd expect the odds to be at least a touchdown in the 49ers' favor.