NFL winners and losers: Chaotic Panthers shake up the NFC

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The Carolina Panthers are pure, unbridled chaos. No other team in the NFL can boast wins over the Cowboys, Packers, and Rams — but also losses to the Cardinals and Saints. Vacillating between brilliant and terrible, there’s rarely a week that the Panthers are just “fine.” That was prevalent on Sunday when Carolina completed added another shock win to their resume, upsetting Matthew Stafford’s dominant Rams after entering the week as huge underdogs.

This chaos is already having a profound effect on the NFC. The Rams’ loss was a big one, which now makes the Chicago Bears the No. 1 team in the conference, opens the door for the Seahawks or 49ers to steal the NFC West, and ensures that the battle for the NFC South will come down to the final games of the season. It’s turned Carolina into a nightmare opponent down the stretch, because there’s absolutely no telling which version of the Panthers will turn up from week to week.

On Sunday we saw the potential of the Panthers at their best. A choking, bend-don’t-break defense with a knack for forcing turnovers, paired with an offense that thrives on running the ball down a defense’s throat, then capitalizing on opening up the passing game to punish an exhausted defense loading the box to try and stop the bleeding. That manifested in some heart-wrenching moments for Panthers fans, as Bryce Young threw two deep touchdowns on crucial fourth down plays, just to accentuate the roller coaster of emotion this team is known for.

Young’s development this season has been … interesting. That sounds like a pejorative, and it might be — I don’t know. Bryce Young is confusing as hell. One week he looks like a total mess who can’t be the future, then the next he’s showing every single trait you want from a QB, manipulating the defense at the line of scrimmage with audibles, and perfectly placing passes where only his receiver can get them.

Thus far this season it’s been more good than bad from Bryce, but the bad has been quite profound. As it stands he’s on pace for 3,056 passing yards, 24 TDs and 12 INTs. He’s functionally on par with Trevor Lawrence this season, and like Lawrence there will likely be debates about his future for some years.

As it pertains to the rest of the NFL, the Panthers are exceptionally difficult to project from week to week. Carolina faces the hapless Saints next, a team they’ve already lost to — but it’s the three weeks after that which make this team so fascinating. Sandwiched between two division-defining games with the Buccaneers is a visit from the Seahawks, with another opportunity to play spoiler, hero, or something in between with the race for the NFC West tightening.

The only consistent thing about the Panthers is that they are headed in the right direction. The coaching staff in place has the team growing together, getting better week to week, and ensuring they have enough confidence in their abilities to play to the final whistle. Things are starting to click, but the Panthers are still mired in the inconsistency that comes from any growing team. With sevens wins in the book they’ve already improved on 2024, and exceeded expectations for 2025. The key now becomes whether they can build on it.

While we wait to see what’s next for Carolina, the rest of the NFC will wait to see how this chaotic team can shape the playoff picture.

The Bears get to say they’re the top team in the NFC for at least the next week, and that’s a massive achievement. Haters can point to inconsistent play from Caleb Williams, or that the Bears have played the softest schedule in the NFC this season — but you can only base a season on the teams in front of you, and Chicago is passing that test.

Ben Johnson and Co. can thank the Panthers for beating the Rams, propelling them into first, and making them the team to beat in the NFC — especially after the loss the Lions sustained. Everything will hinge on how Chicago closes out the season against the Browns, 49ers, Packers (twice), and Lions. That will define what happens to this team, but they’re looking pretty good.

This just can’t keep going on in Atlanta. I get that Michael Penix Jr. is hurt, but you just can’t be losing to Tyrod Taylor and the Jets. I like Raheem Morris as a coach, but this experiment should be over. He doesn’t have it. This is getting ridiculous, and Falcons fans deserve better.

I truly don’t know where the Falcons go from here. They mortgaged their first round pick in 2026, which will end up being extremely high. They don’t have the defense to get things done. They might not have the quarterback. Bijan Robinson and Drake London are wasting away.

Eat at Arby’s.

When was the last time you saw a receiver making a diving, backhanded, one-handed catch to set up a touchdown? What a monumental catch, and one of the best in NFL history.

When was the last time you saw a player’s brain totally fall out and make a play this dumb?

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