The Carolina Panthers Have Proven They Should Be Taken Seriously In The NFC.

Since the Panthers have labored through seven consecutive losing seasons, it's understandable that there might be hesitancy to anoint them in a favorable light.

But given that Carolina has a winning record at 7-6 — and that the calendar has flipped to December — you can say it loudly and proudly that this is a good football team.

Nobody would dispute the quality of the Los Angeles Rams or the Green Bay Packers. In fact, they just might be the two best teams in the NFC. They also share one common thread: the Panthers have beaten them both.

Carolina's strongest trait has been its resilience, which is accented well by the franchise's "Keep Pounding" mantra. Ever since the team's 0-2 start, it has not lost consecutive games and has actually seen its season-highs follow the lowest of lows.

The Packers win at Lambeau Field was one week after the Panthers' 40-9, home loss to the Bills. Sunday's Rams victory was coming off of a short week — plus, cross-country travel from the 49ers setback on Monday Night Football — and the absences of several starters, including Jaycee Horn (concussion) and Tre'Von Moehrig (suspension).

The list goes even further than that. The 42-13, blow-out debacle at New England was followed by a three-game winning streak. A week after the double-digit, home loss to the Saints, quarterback Bryce Young broke a franchise record for single-game passing yards (448) in an overtime victory at Atlanta.

"It's humility. It's playing games where we're been humbled by not having great execution and knowing we have to go back to our basics," Dave Canales said when asked about the root of his team's resilience. "This is a humble group. It's the leadership of our group. It's Derrick Brown and it's Bryce (Young)."

Young might be the best example of the Panthers' resilience. Just over a year after being benched, he led his eleventh game-winning drive in the fourth quarter or overtime. That's a stat he leads the NFL in since he was drafted in 2023.

So between the results and the sheer number of potential award winners on the roster — Offensive Rookie of the Year frontrunner Tetairoa McMillan and Brown being in the Defensive Player of the Year race — it's more than okay to say this Panthers team is good.