Was the Carolina Panthers’ loss to 49ers predictable? Plus, a Rams preview
By Alex Zietlow and
Scott Fowler
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young looks on after being pressured in the third quarter of the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium on November 24, 2025 in Santa Clara, California.
Jed Jacobsohn
Getty Images
Should we have seen this coming?
That’s the main question Charlotte Observer sports reporter Alex Zietlow and columnist Scott Fowler tackle in the latest podcast episode of Processing Blue — which was taped mere hours after the Carolina Panthers’ 20-9 loss to the San Francisco 49ers on the West Coast.
This, of course, was just the beginning of the questions that came to the fore in the drubbing. Among the others:
Why didn’t head coach Dave Canales give Rico Dowdle more carries?
How badly will the Panthers miss Jaycee Horn if he can’t bounce back from the concussion he sustained Monday?
And do the Panthers, realistically, still have a shot at the playoffs?
The Processing Blue crew also hosted Nate Atkins — a stalwart reporter at The Athletic who covers the Los Angeles Rams — to help preview the upcoming Panthers-Rams matchup in Week 13.
Listen to the latest podcast episode at the embed in this story, or download it on Spotify, Apple Music or wherever you get your podcasts. You can also check out the show on YouTube.
Columnist Scott Fowler has written for The Charlotte Observer since 1994 and has earned 26 APSE awards for his sportswriting. He hosted The Observer’s podcast “Carruth,” which Sports Illustrated once named “Podcast of the Year.” Fowler also conceived and hosted the online series and podcast “Sports Legends of the Carolinas,” which featured 1-on-1 interviews with NC and SC sports icons and was turned into a book. He occasionally writes about non-sports subjects, such as the 5-part series “9/11/74,” which chronicled the forgotten plane crash of Eastern Air Lines Flight 212 in Charlotte on Sept. 11, 1974.Support my work with a digital subscription
Alex Zietlow writes about the Carolina Panthers and the ways in which sports intersect with life for The Charlotte Observer, where he has been a reporter since August 2022. Zietlow’s work has been honored by the Pro Football Writers Association, the N.C. and S.C. Press Associations, as well as the Associated Press Sports Editors (APSE) group. He’s earned six APSE Top 10 distinctions for his coverage on a variety of topics, from billion-dollar stadium renovations to the small moments of triumph that helped a Panthers kicker defy the steepest odds in sports. Zietlow previously wrote for The Herald in Rock Hill (S.C.) from 2019-22.Support my work with a digital subscription
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