What a difference one game can make. The Carolina Panthers were coming off an embarrassing 40-9 shellacking at the hands (or feet) of James Cook and the Buffalo Bills in Week 8, staring down the barrel of a harrowing rendezvous with the NFC-leading Green Bay Packers in their house.
The Panthers were visitors but made themselves at home in Lambeau. It wasn’t a pretty game, and it took gritty performances to finish the deal, but Carolina walked out with the win and a 5-4 record after the first nine contests of the 2025 regular season.
Can the Carolina Panthers Make the Playoffs?
According to PFSN’s NFL Football Playoff Meter, Carolina had a 21.5% probability of making the postseason and an 8.6% chance of winning the NFC South. Those odds certainly didn’t favor the Panthers to pull off the upset on Sunday, and the shift after the 1 p.m. game slate proves that.
After the first round of early Week 9 games, the Panthers’ playoff chances increased by 15 percentage points, reflecting a 36.5% probability that they will play more than 17 football games this season.
Furthermore, the above-.500 Carolina Panthers are calculated to have a 15.1% chance of winning their division and securing a guaranteed home playoff game. The team is 3-1 in games played at Bank of America Stadium this season.
Much longer odds are the chances that Carolina navigates not only into the postseason but all the way to the Super Bowl. The team entered the week with a 0.4% chance to win the championship. After the statement win on Sunday and the other 1 p.m. results, that probability remained unchanged.
Looking ahead to the postseason isn’t a trap the Panthers seem likely to fall into, however. Quarterback Bryce Young said in his post-game presser, “We’re excited for this win. We always have a growth mindset, whatever the outcome is. So that’ll be my mindset. That’ll be our mindset, and that’s all there is”.
Next week’s matchup is a home game against the New Orleans Saints, the Panthers’ division rival (1-7 entering Week 9). That game will be another growth opportunity for Carolina and its young corps of players.