Niners Nation
For a game that seemed to be a questionable choice for Monday Night Football, given where both of these teams were entering the 2025 season, we should be in for a good one on Monday with the San Francisco 49ers hosting the upstart Carolina Panthers in a game that could be important for playoff positioning.
Both teams are coming off crucial divisional wins that have improved their playoff odds. San Francisco defeated the Cardinals in Week 11, keeping them in the playoff picture as the No. 7 seed, while the Panthers completed their sweep of the Falcons last week to keep up despite being on the outside looking in. According to the NFL.com playoff picture, Monday’s game will be crucial for both teams: a win for the 49ers would improve their playoff chances to 91 percent, while a loss for Carolina would drop their odds to a measly 13 percent.
Either way, meaningful football in late November is always exciting, and that’s what we will get on Monday night in Santa Clara. Here are some numbers to know for the Monday night clash:
1.86
The Panthers average 1.86 points per drive, the eighth-lowest average in the league.
For the second week in a row, the 49ers will face an offense in the top five in plays per drive. And while Carolina runs just about the same number of plays per drive as the Cardinals do – Carolina runs 6.4 plays per drive compared to Arizona’s 6.5 – the Panthers score much less frequently than the 49ers’ Week 11 opponent.
The Panthers are one of 10 teams that average fewer than 2 points per drive, with New Orleans and Atlanta – two teams the 49ers have already faced – and Cleveland and Tennessee – the 49ers’ next two opponents after Carolina – among them. The 49ers allowed 21 points back in Week 2 to New Orleans with a fully healthy defense, while holding Atlanta to 10 in Week with a less-than-healthy defense.
Carolina has struggled to consistently get on the board this season, scoring less than 14 points in five games, going 1-4 in those games. The lone win of the bunch came in Week 7 when they defeated the New York Jets – one of the seven teams that average fewer points per drive than Carolina – by a score of 13-6.
While the Panthers have some solid offensive pieces, like Rico Dowdle and Tetairoa McMillan, they have struggled to put points on the board. It shouldn’t come as a surprise, but if the 49ers’ defense can hold Carolina to under 14 points, you have to like their chances (duh).
4.4
Carolina’s defense allows 4.4 yards per attempt, the 12th-worst in the league.
And the Carolina run defense has been struggling, especially in recent weeks. It’s a defense that’s allowed more than 100 rushing yards in each of their last four games after only allowing three such games over the first seven weeks of the season. They’ve also allowed four...
