Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4), center, rushes for yards during the fourth quarter of an NFL football matchup at EverBank Stadium, Sunday, Sept. 7, 2025 in Jacksonville, Fla. The Jaguars defeated the Panthers 26-10. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Week 2 deemed make-or-break for struggling Carolina Panthers

Originally posted on Carolina Panthers on SI
By Zach Roberts | Last updated Sep 10, 2025 7:37 AM ET

The Carolina Panthers had some optimism heading into the 2025 NFL season. Virtually all of it came crashing down on Sunday after an outrageously poor opening game. They lost 26-10, but that score indicates that it was closer than it was.

Now, they're 0-1. The playoffs were always a long shot after winning five games last year, but they enter Week 2 needing to avoid an 0-2 start if they're to have any semblance of a good season. According to one insider, they're one of five teams facing must-win games.

Bleacher Report's Alex Kay wrote, "While any hopes of contending for the franchise's first postseason berth since 2017 may not have been the most realistic, the rebuilding team didn't seem to be trending toward an unsightly 26-10 defeat to the Jacksonville Jaguars in the opener, either."

Carolina looked like the same old Panthers. Bryce Young struggled, and the ground game was only decent and not good enough to carry an ailing passing attack. The defense "couldn't get any stops when it needed them most," and gave up 6.3 yards per rush to a Jaguars backfield that came in with tons of question marks.

Young took the blame for a bad outing, but he also said it's only the first week, and that they'll move on and look to better opportunities in Week 2. Kay said that's "reasonable," but also noted that this mentality might be necessary after several bad losses this year.

"The next could come after a tough clash against a legitimate Arizona Cardinals squad in Week 2, a team built around a strong ground game and ferocious defense that adeptly handled the New Orleans Saints in the opener," he argued.

"If Arizona gets its second consecutive NFC South victory to open the year, the Panthers will fall into an 0-2 hole that will be insurmountable for this young squad," the analyst concluded. The Panthers have a 14-6 record all-time against the Cardinals, but these two teams look like they're in different sports right now.

The Panthers have a total of one week to undo a whole lot of bad and save their season.

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

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