The 2024-25 NFL season for the Carolina Panthers begins on Sunday afternoon. They will start their season visiting the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana. It’s imperative that the Panthers begin their season with a victory, especially against a divisional rival. In their franchise’s history, the Panthers have only made the playoffs twice, after losing the season opener. On both occasions, those were home games (in 2005-06 to the Saints & in 2013-14 to the Seattle Seahawks).
The Panthers have a new head coach. Dave Canales will be the man in charge. He was a wide receivers & quarterbacks coach for the Seahawks for many years, before becoming the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, last season. He will have the unenviable task of turning around last season’s worst team in the NFL. The Panthers have not only missed the playoffs for the last 6 seasons, but they’ve also been in last place in the NFC South on 3 of those 6 occasions.
The biggest task that Canales will have is to make sure that he has the correct personnel on the offensive line. Last season, they allowed (#1 overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft) Bryce Young to be the league’s most sacked quarterback. Young was sacked 477 times. Plus, he only threw 11 touchdowns, while also throwing 10 interceptions. The offensive line has to be frequently solid, if the Panthers are to get better production out of Young.
The same can be said for the running game. After a breakout season with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2022-23 (which helped the team win the NFC Championship), the Panthers hoped that (running back) Miles Sanders would continue his success in Carolina. However, his production dropped drastically, as he went from career highs (1,269 rushing yards & 11 touchdowns) to a career-low 432 rushing yards with only 1 touchdown.
Raheem Blackshear was barely a factor in the run game, as he only had 13 runs for 40 yards with no touchdowns. The lone bright spot for Carolina’s run game was Chuba Hubbard. He ran for a career-high 902 yards & matched his career-high with 5 touchdowns. If the offensive line can create holes & deliver good blocks, there could be a 3-headed monster in Carolina’s backfield.
The defense will also have their own issues. After losing Pro Bowl linebacker Brian Burns to the New York Giants, someone will have to be a playmaker on their defense. Maybe it will be new addition, (linebacker) Jadeveon Clowney, who was the #1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. It could be veteran (linebacker) Shaq Thompson, who will be entering his 10th NFL season, all with the Panthers. In the secondary, (safety) Jordan Fuller to bring his interception ability from the Los Angeles Rams to the Panthers.
The most important issue for the Panthers will be their opponents. The Saints swept them, last season. In the game at the Superdome (December 10, 2023), the Panthers had 5 turnovers on downs, 2 fumbles, & a missed field goal as part of a 28-6 loss. Young was also sacked 4 times in that game. If the Saints provide that type of offense & defense, again, the Panthers could be in for another long season.
However, if the Panthers can take the crowd out of the game by flustering (Saints quarterback) Derek Carr, containing the running back duo of Alvin Kamara & Jamaal Williams, and prevent defensive stars like Cam Jordan, Tyrann “Honey Badger” Mathieu, & new acquisition Willie Gay from making an impact, there may be a chance for a super-sized upset in the Superdome.