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Where do Panthers rank among potential first-time Super Bowl winners in 2026?

The Carolina Panthers have been to the Super Bowl twice in franchise history, losing to Tom Brady's New England Patriots in 2003 and Peyton Manning's Denver Broncos in 2015. And since that last appearance, the organization has fallen on hard times—reaching the playoffs just once until this past season.

So, how close is Carolina to returning to the big game?

According to a new list from NFL.com, they still have some work to do. Writer Eric Edholm has ranked all 12 teams that have never won a Super Bowl going into 2026, with the Panthers coming in at the seventh-likeliest to finally capture the Lombardi Trophy:

How close are the Panthers to competing for a title? That depends on how much you buy into last year’s progress. On the one hand, they finished 8-9 and were outscored by 69 points on the season... All that said, the Panthers' ability to vie for a Super Bowl in the coming years rests more on Bryce Young than anyone else. The former No. 1 overall pick has had some brilliant moments, but also some maddeningly cold stretches; it’s been far too inconsistent, even week to week.

All anybody is going to remember is the fact that the Panthers "won" the NFC South in 2025, but the details are pretty hairy. Finishing with a losing record after ending the campaign on a two-game losing streak and winding up with a -69 point differential suggests that this team is still pretty far from actually contending.

Then again, they have really made progress since they hit bottom back in 2023. Their defense is much tougher on paper—and with the addition of linebacker Devin Lloyd, they finally have Pro Bowlers (defensive lineman Derrick Brown and cornerback Jayce Horn) at all three levels of unit.

Then again, Edholm's blurb is right—unless Young breaks out and becomes an above-average starter who can perform consistently, even the best defense in the NFL is unlikely to get the Panthers back to the Super Bowl. Young has to show a lot of progress in 2026, or it's unlikely he'll be rewarded with a long-term contract.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers ranked seventh-likeliest first-time Super Bowl winner in 2026

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