Biggest storylines for Panthers vs. 49ers in Week 12

Are you ready for some Carolina Panthers football?

Monday night's matchup at Levi's Stadium will mark the organization's first prime-time game in over two years. And this isn't just a showcase for the 7-4 San Francisco 49ers.

At 6-5 and with a place in the NFC playoff race, the Panthers are alive and well. Unlike in recent seasons, this Carolina team is on the hunt for a postseason berth in late November—and the palpable culture shift in Charlotte has made the momentum feel all the more real.

But if they want to make good under the bright lights, they'll have to go through an old friend to do it.

Here are the biggest storylines for this Week 12 contest . . .

Prime-time prowl

Again, it's been a minute since all eyes have been on the Panthers.

Their last prime-time showing was a Thursday nighter in Week 10 of the 2023 schedule, where they laid an egg in a 16-13 loss to the Chicago Bears. Their last Monday nighter was the first of a double feature in Week 2 of the same season, which also ended in a pretty punchless defeat.

After being given zero prime-time nods in 2024—and just the one, at least so far, here in 2025—the Panthers probably feel like they have something to prove. And if that's the attitude amongst the boys, then it's no different from they've been feeling throughout what's been a resilient and pleasantly surprising campaign.

It's now time, as head coach Dave Canales has stressed since the offseason, to seize the opportunity and show the football world who they are.

Hello, my friend, we meet again

Standing in the way of a triumphant night for Carolina will be 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey. This'll mark the first time the Panthers will see their franchise's fourth all-time leading rusher since trading him three years ago.

Since then, Christian's been Christian. Yeah, he did succumb to that pesky injury bug in 2024, but he's still been one of the most important players in football when healthy—having jolted San Francisco to the playoffs in 2022, capturing the Offensive Player of the Year honors in 2023 and, at the moment, leading the league in scrimmage yards in 2025.

Entering Week 12, McCaffrey has put up the numbers of a RB1/WR1 hybrid—with 707 rushing yards and six rushing touchdowns and 732 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. He also, unsurprisingly, ranks second in carries (193) and fourth in targets (96).

Stopping this cyborg is a tough task for every single defense in the NFL. Unfortunately for the Panthers, they'll have to try to do so without both of their starting inside linebackers in Trevin Wallace and Christian Rozeboom.

The night is Young?

Panthers quarterback Bryce Young is rolling into Monday night off a performance for the ages.

He, in last Sunday's overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons, completed 31 of his 45 throws for a career-high and franchise-record 448 yards and three touchdowns. His sparkling display, where he also had to power through a nagging ankle injury, earned him his first NFC Offensive Player of the Week selection.

What made the afternoon sweeter was Young's ball distribution, as he connected with nine different pass catchers in the walk-off victory. The group was headlined by first-round wideouts Tetairoa McMillan (eight receptions, 130 yards, two touchdowns) and Xavier Legette (four receptions, 83 yards, touchdown).

There's a decent chance that Young could shine once more, as the Niners have fielded the fifth-worst pass defense while amassing a league-low 12 sacks. Needless to say, the absences of defensive end Nick Bosa and linebacker Fred Warner are looming large.

So, will Canales let Young rip it under the spotlight? And can Young take advantage of a prime (and prime-time) opportunity?

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers vs. 49ers 2025: Biggest storylines for Week 12