Charlotte will probably remember this third quarter for a while.
The Carolina Panthers ended up losing to the Seattle Seahawks, 27-10, on Sunday in Bank of America Stadium. The game was close up until the latter half of the third quarter, but then the top team in the NFC took advantage of two Panthers turnovers and cashed them into 14 unanswered points — and a commanding lead.
That and a fourth-quarter Seahawks drive and field goal sealed the game.
What made the loss most disappointing?
The Panthers, with a win or a tie Sunday, would’ve clinched their first playoff berth since 2017. The Panthers’ postseason hopes will now come down to Week 18.
Here are five takeaways from the loss.
NFC South could’ve been decided in Charlotte
The Panthers (8-8) entered Sunday “two Week 17 wins” away from a playoff berth. Those wins: their own victory over Seattle, and then a Miami Dolphins win over the Tampa Bay Bucs.
One happened. The Panthers just couldn’t hold up their end of the deal.
The Dolphins defeated the other team fighting for the NFC South crown on Sunday, handling the Bucs, 20-17. Tampa Bay has now lost seven of its past eight games. But with the Panthers’ loss, the Bucs’ loss is rendered inconsequential — and the two teams will have a win-and-you’re-in matchup in Tampa Bay next weekend.
A third-quarter meltdown: Two turnovers
The Panthers saw their third quarter get off to a decent start. Ask cornerback Mike Jackson, and it was a wonderful start. The cornerback hauled in an interception in the end zone — against his old team, in a 3-3 game. The catch, according to Action Network, initiated a $500,000 roster incentive.
Then everything unfurled.
The play after the Jackson interception — the first second-half offensive play from scrimmage — Chuba Hubbard received a handoff and fumbled it. The Seahawks (13-3) promptly took over in the red zone and scored.
The next possession, quarterback Bryce Young fired a pass toward a turned-around Tetairoa McMillan, and what appeared to be a miscommunication between the QB and receiver yielded an interception. The Seahawks cashed that one in, too.
That was 14 unanswered points. And, mathematically, that was the difference.
A controversial Jaycee Horn penalty
The Panthers fought back after their third-quarter blunder. They responded with a fourth-quarter drive that resulted in a rushing touchdown from Young. It drew the game to 17-10, with nearly an entire quarter to go.
The Panthers’ defense, then, responded well. The crowd of 73,163 did, too, provoking a delay of game penalty that forced a third-and-long.
And then, on a dump-off pass from Sam Darnold to Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn attempted to push Smith-Njigba out of bounds but grabbed facemask on the way. It resulted in a penalty, an automatic first down — and extended a drive that ended in a Seahawks field goal to extend the lead, 20-10.
This was a difficult moment for the defense, which outside of this penalty, played a pretty great game. The unit earned two turnovers, stumped the Seahawks on their only attempt on fourth down and only allowed 289 yards.
Bryce Young can’t get anything going
Sunday marked Young’s career low in passing yards. His stat-line: 14 of 24 for 54 yards and one interception, for a passer rating of 45.8.
He wasn’t the only reason for the Panthers’ offensive struggles. Receivers struggled to get separation and failed to make Seattle tacklers miss. Jalen Coker, Xavier Legette and McMillan (who battled through an illness) combined for four catches for 24 yards. The Seattle defensive line — regarded as one of the best run-stopping units in the league — stifled Hubbard (four carries, 12 yards) and Rico Dowdle (11 attempts, 59 yards) all game, too.
In fact, Young running the ball was one of the few reliable options the Panthers had on offense. The third-year quarterback finished with 27 rushing yards on eight carries and a touchdown. And that rushing total would’ve been more if not for those final two carries being Young taking a knee — head coach Dave Canales opted to kneel instead of risking injury on the Panthers’ final drive.
Fun fact about Young’s rushing touchdown Sunday: That score put Young at eight career rushing TDs — second-most among QBs in Panthers history (behind Cam Newton). He was previously tied for second in career rushing TDs as a Panthers quarterback. Who was he tied with? His opponent Sunday: Sam Darnold.
Sam Darnold plays just well enough in Charlotte return
Darnold did not play well on this dreary day in Charlotte. He was inaccurate at times. Imprecise in others — from an intentional grounding penalty in the first half, to a delay of game penalty on a key drive in the second half, to a red-zone interception.
But Darnold did enough, taking advantage of the short fields the Seattle defense furnished for him. Darnold’s stats: 18 of 27 for 147 yards, one touchdown, one interception and one fumble.
This story was originally published December 28, 2025 at 4:11 PM.
Alex Zietlow
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