The San Francisco 49ers and Carolina Panthers are gearing up for a big Monday night game that carries some serious playoff weight. After a rough patch earlier this year, the 49ers are back in the hunt thanks to a strong win with Brock Purdy back as their starting QB. The Panthers, meanwhile, are surprising a lot of people with their season so far, driven by an impressive Bryce Young performance, and they’re ready to make noise.
The Panthers, sitting at 6-5, have a winning record this late in the season for the first time since 2018. Beating the 7-4 49ers would be a huge step toward ending one of the NFL’s longest playoff droughts, Carolina hasn’t made the postseason since 2017 (only the Jets have waited longer). Their confidence is high after a thrilling 30-27 overtime win against Atlanta last week, where Bryce Young threw for a franchise record 448 yards.
Carolina’s coach, Dave Canales, who’s in his second year leading the team, is all about emphasizing the moment. “My job is to really just sell the championship moments that we have, the championship opportunity,” he says. The Panthers get to play under the big lights on Monday night against a team Canales respects a lot. He expects the atmosphere to feel just like a playoff game, which should motivate his guys even more.
For the 49ers, Brock Purdy’s recent return has helped them get back on track. He missed six games with a toe injury but looked sharp last week throwing for 200 yards and three touchdowns in a 41-22 win over Arizona. This is the 49ers team many remember, the same squad that made it to the NFC title game in 2022 and the Super Bowl in 2023, featuring both Purdy and Christian McCaffrey.
Injuries have been a big challenge for San Francisco, with stars like George Kittle, Fred Warner, and Nick Bosa all missing significant time. But Purdy’s optimistic about the momentum the team has now. “I'm excited just with the momentum that we have going and guys ready to go in on this challenge of finishing out the season strong," he said. "I think more than anything, we all believe in each other. We've gotten tight.”
The game also marks a reunion of sorts for McCaffrey, who will face his old team for the first time since being traded from Carolina to San Francisco in 2022. McCaffrey was a big deal for the Panthers, drafted eighth overall in 2017 and earning All-Pro honours after his third season, when he made history by rushing and receiving over 1,000 yards in the same year. He’s on track to reach that milestone again this season but isn’t focusing on sentiment.
“I'm approaching it the same way I approach every game," he said. "I take them all serious and, this one obviously, where our team's at, where their team's at, we've got to come out ready to go, ready to execute,” he said, emphasizing readiness and execution over the emotional side of facing his former team.
Bryce Young is already making his mark as well. Since starting in the NFL in 2023, he’s led 10 game-winning drives, four this season alone. That puts him among the top young QBs in history before turning 25. He’s completing over 73% of his passes on those drives with a passer rating above 115. In last week’s win over Atlanta, even after briefly leaving the game with an ankle injury, Young came back strong and led that winning drive in overtime. Coach Canales praised his grit and leadership, highlighting how Young’s presence motivates his teammates.
Rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan has also been a bright spot for the Panthers since they traded Adam Thielen before the season started. McMillan made a huge impact last week with eight catches for 130 yards and two touchdowns, career highs. He’s now leading Carolina in receptions and yards, doing more than any other rookie receiver this year.
On the 49ers’ side, they thought their kicking game was solved when they signed former Panthers kicker Eddy Pineiro early in the season. Pineiro hadn’t missed a field goal all year, making 22 straight attempts, but he got injured last week. That forced the 49ers to bring in Matt Gay, who had just been cut by Washington. Gay’s stats this season weren’t great, missing several long field goals, so San Francisco will have to hope he can stabilize the kicking duties.
Carolina’s kicker, Ryan Fitzgerald, has been clutch this season. The Panthers have won half their games on his last-second field goals, three out of six wins have come thanks to his final kicks.
This Monday night game between the 49ers and Panthers has all the ingredients for an intense playoff preview. Both teams are fighting hard to keep their postseason hopes alive, making the stakes incredibly high, and the excitement level through the roof.
I’m taking the points with Carolina here. San Francisco may have gotten Brock Purdy and Ricky Pearsall back last week, but that win over Arizona highlighted just how vulnerable this defense has become. The 49ers rank 30th in defensive success rate and just allowed Jacoby Brissett to throw for 452 yards without his top receiver. With All-Pros Nick Bosa and Fred Warner lost earlier this season to injury, this stop unit is hanging on by duct tape and timely turnovers, and I don’t trust that to hold up for four quarters.
Carolina strolls into this matchup playing its best football of the season. Bryce Young looked like a true No. 1 pick for the first time, throwing for 448 yards while dragging the Panthers back from a 21–7 hole in Atlanta. The emergence of Tetairoa McMillan and the burst Rico Dowdle brings to the ground game makes this offense far more dynamic. They sit 14th in offensive success rate, and the balance shows. More importantly, they’ve been excellent defensively, ranking eighth in success rate and winning five of their last seven outright.
Given how the 49ers have traded wins and losses since Week 3, I’m not expecting consistency to suddenly show up now. Their defense just can’t get off the field unless the ball drops in their lap, and Dowdle’s physicality should give them real problems. Carolina is 5-2 ATS in its last seven and has covered in three straight road games, so grabbing a full touchdown feels like the right side.
I’m also leaning over 49.5. No team has hit more overs this season than San Francisco, and it’s not a coincidence, the injuries on defense keep turning their games into track meets. They’ve given up 114 points in their last four outings, and their secondary ranks bottom-five in EPA per pass. With Purdy and the offense nearly back at full strength under Kyle Shanahan, the Niners will score. But they’re going to give it right back, too. Young won’t throw for 448 yards again, but getting into the 20s is very realistic.
This sets up as another high-scoring script with both quarterbacks attacking weakened defenses. I’m riding Panthers +7 and the Over 49.5. Find the best line for this Monday Night Football parlay at Bankroll U!