Oct 12, 2025; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan (4) celebrates a touchdown during the second half the Dallas Cowboys at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

Tre’von Moehrig and Damien Lewis believe things are changing for the Panthers

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Russell Baxter | Last updated Oct 13, 2025 5:00 AM ET

For the second consecutive week and the third time in four games, Dave Canales’s club emerged with a victory. On Sunday, it outlasted the visiting Dallas Cowboys via a 30-27 win. Running back Rico Dowdle totaled 239 yards from scrimmage and scored one touchdown in the three-point triumph.

The Carolina Panthers now own a 3-3 record—the first time since Week 10 of 2021 that the team was not below the .500 mark. That season, the Panthers opened 3-0 and wound up splitting their first 10 games before embarking on a season-ending seven-game losing streak.

The next assignment for Canales’s club is a road trip to MetLife Stadium to take on the winless New York Jets in Week 7. Aaron Glenn’s club is 0-6, and the only team in the league not to win a game this season. It’s a chance for the Panthers to do something they haven’t done since the first weeks of 2021. That year, the team owned a 3-2 record after five games, which was the last time the Panthers were above the .500 mark.

There’s definitely a different feel to a franchise that hasn’t experienced a winning season since 2017, and the players sense that.

Are the #Panthers the real deal? With the NFC South within reach, after a shootout win against the #Cowboys, I asked safety Tre’Von Moehrig what he thought of the “real deal” distinction.

“I know what we have in this room. I believe in us.” pic.twitter.com/Z5mAmpDUFA
— Alex Zietlow (@alexzietlow05) October 12, 2025

Safety Tre’von Moehrig is in his first season in Carolina and is currently second on the team with 36 tackles. Left guard Damien Lewis is in his second year with the Panthers, part of an offensive line that was one of the best in the league in 2024 and a unit that has overcome its share of injuries this season.

Culture CHANGING in CHARLOTTE!!!
— Damien Lewis (@Damienlewis72) October 12, 2025

A year ago, the Canales Era began with seven losses in its first eight games and a quarterback benched after two contests. The team bounced back to win four of its final nine games. This season, the Panthers are already in bounce-back mode after a 1-3 start, while third-year signal-caller Bryce Young remains resilient.

This Sunday, Canales’s squad looks to do something they haven’t done in 2025 and that’s win a road game. The Panthers are 0-3 away from home and been outscored a combined 95-45 in those setbacks.

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

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