The following is an excerpt from Warren Sharp's 2026 Football Preview. In addition to Warren's deep, detailed write-up on all 32 NFL teams, each chapter features page after page of full-color charts, stats, and heatmaps, as well as penalty analysis from Joe Gibbs. Click here for a full FREE chapter from the 2026 Football Preview.
Penalties are an under-discussed aspect of NFL success and failure. Average teams can become playoff contenders with good discipline, and good teams can become great simply by winning the penalty battle.
Let's look at how the Carolina Panthers performed from a penalty perspective in 2025 and where they can improve in 2026.
Carolina Panthers 2026 Penalty Outlook: Discipline, Flags & Hidden Edges
The Good
- The Panthers ended 2025 as one of the most disciplined teams in the NFL, ranking 28th in penalties per game. It was a major downward shift from the previous few seasons, when the Panthers consistently ranked as a top-10 penalized team.
- The Panthers averaged the third-fewest penalties in the first quarter of games.
- The defense averaged the fewest penalties per game in 2025.
- Carolina recorded the No. 1 net positive penalty count versus opponents in the fourth quarter of contests last season.
- Carolina’s impressive fourth-quarter penalty advantage resulted in the Panthers being the No. 1 net beneficiary of automatic first downs via penalty versus opponents in the fourth quarter of games.
The Bad
- We detailed how disciplined the Panthers were in the first quarter of games. For whatever reason, that discipline went out the door at the end of the opening quarter. The Panthers ranked as a top-10 penalized team in second-quarter penalty average in 2025.
- Unnecessary roughness and unsportsmanlike conduct accounted for 6.1% of overall penalties assessed in the 2025 NFL season. The Panthers were awful in these categories, with a disproportionately high 13% of the team's overall penalties occurring via those two discipline-related infractions. Carolina ranked as a top-three penalized team in both categories.
Grade: A-
The Panthers were one of the NFL’s surprise teams last season, sneaking into the playoffs and taking the Rams down to the wire in the Wild Card Round.
Carolina fans hope the team can “Keep Pounding” and return to the playoffs for a second consecutive season.
On paper, the offseason additions have strengthened the team in the trenches, and the NFC South may only require nine wins to secure the division.
Irrespective of whether Carolina repeats as division champs, unless Bryce Young takes a major leap into the elite quarterback tier, the Panthers still fall short of being considered a serious contender in the NFC.
This analysis continues in the 2026 Football Preview
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