Carolina Panthers vs. Seattle Seahawks: Our predictions, TV channel, best bets
How much more magic can Bank of America Stadium deliver this season?
We’ll see Sunday.
The Panthers (8-7) play their final regular-season home game at 1 p.m. Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks (12-3). The game will be broadcast on CBS and could very well contribute to the Panthers’ first playoff appearance since 2017 — but Carolina will need some help in addition to a win to make that happen.
A reminder: The Panthers need to win Sunday and have the Bucs lose to the Miami Dolphins in order to secure the NFC South crown and a postseason berth after Week 17. If that permutation of events doesn’t happen, then it’s off to Tampa Bay for Week 18, where a win-or-go-home regular-season finale is set.
Still, there is plenty to play for Sunday. Not only does Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales insist that this week of preparation will resemble every other week — there will be no “scoreboard watching,” so to speak — the Seahawks also have a No. 1 seed in the NFC to attempt to lock up, too.
Here’s a one-stop shop for everything you need to know ahead of the game Sunday.
Injury report update Sunday morning: Tetairoa McMillan with an illness
Tetaitora McMillan landed on the injury report Sunday morning with an illness. As of 10:30 a.m., he was officially listed as questionable. A league source told The Charlotte Observer that the Panthers’ star rookie receiver was expected to play against the Seattle Seahawks nonetheless, and it turns out that McMillan is indeed playing.
McMillan leads the team in several receiving categories, including yards (924), touchdowns (seven), receptions (65) and targets (924). If he’s at all impacted by the illness Sunday, those who’d be expected to step up in his place are second-year receivers Xavier Legette (31 receptions, 398 yards, three touchdowns) and Jalen Coker (25 receptions, 331 yards, two touchdowns — which include a score in each of the last two games).
Here are the inactives for the game for the Panthers: WR Hunter Renfrow, S Demani Richardson, DT Jared Harrison-Hunte, TE James Mitchell, DT Tershawn Wharton.
Inactives for the Seahawks: QB Jalen Milroe, S Coby Bryant, LB Jared Ivey, T Charles Cross, G Bryce Cabeldue, T/G Mason Richman, NT Brandon Pili.
How to watch Carolina vs. Seattle
The Panthers are hosting their second consecutive and final home game of the 2025 season on Sunday in Bank of America Stadium. Fans can catch the game on CBS with Ian Eagle (play-by-play), JJ Watt (analyst) and Evan Washburn (sideline reporter).
People listening on the radio can follow it on one of three ways:
- WRFX The Fox on 99.7 FM, with Anish Shroff, Luke Kuechly, Jake Delhomme and Kristen Balboni. Check the Carolina Panthers Radio Network for local listings. (By the way, if you missed Kuechly’s cameo on ESPN2 during Monday Night Football last week, it was fantastic.)
- National radio on Compass Media Networks, with Bill Rosinski and Brian Baldinger.
- Spanish radio on WXNC 97.3 FM and 1060 AM, with Jaime Moreno and Antonio Ramos on the call.
Betting information to know for Panthers-Seahawks
The Panthers are 7.5-point underdogs in their home contest against Seattle, according to FanDuel Sportsbook. The over/under is 42.5. Odds for taking Panthers moneyline is at +270, with Seahawks moneyline at -355.
The Panthers are 9-6 against the spread this year; Seattle is 10-5.
Some prop bets you might find intriguing, with lines updated Sunday morning:
- Player Passing TDs — Sam Darnold: The Panthers fan who remembers Darnold’s stint in Carolina will know that he can be pretty great when the rest of his team is running smoothly. And things are smooth in Seattle. The over/under for Darnold is 1.5 touchdowns (for +106). Safe bet.
- Anytime 1st Half TD Scorer — Rico Dowdle: It’s been a while since the Panthers’ running back has scored a touchdown. (OK, well, he scored against the Saints two weeks ago, but before that he hadn’t scored since early November. In any case, some Dowdle magic is overdue.) Look for the Panthers to try to establish the run early and for that to result in an early score. The odds would reward your ambition (+380).
- 2nd Quarter Both Teams To Score: This one will be competitive, yes, but also the Panthers are at their best when they’re playing possession football. When the Panthers are really rolling the opponent only gets one possession in the second quarter. So selecting “No” here could be prudent. In any case, the odds are here: “Yes” (-225) and “No” (+174).
Score predictions: Panthers vs. Seahawks
When you have nothing left to play for, you play for pride. That’s what predictors Mike Kaye (4-11) and Alex Zietlow (4-11) are doing here. There’s no catching Scott Fowler, who at 8-7 has already cemented the crown. Now onto this week’s predictions.
Fowler: Seattle 29, Panthers 24. Carolina makes a game of it, but the Seahawks are a bit too strong overall. The win-loss-win-loss pattern for Carolina continues. With this result, the Panthers’ playoff hopes will rest entirely on a “win-and-you’re-in” game at Tampa Bay Jan. 4.
Kaye: Seahawks 23, Panthers 21. Fine, I’ll buy into the win one-lose one-win one trend. The Seahawks are trying to win the NFC West, and they need to pull off a cross-country win to stay in contention. The Panthers have a history of letdowns after big wins. It’s just following the trend here. (Shoulder shrug and a sigh.)
Zietlow: Seahawks 31, Panthers 21. Oh no. We’re all on the same page. That means something utterly and sensationally surprising will happen Sunday. But even looking through it with that lens, I can’t justify predicting a Panthers win. Give me Sam Darnold getting his get-back in a solid game by a team looking to lock up the No. 1 seed in the NFC.
This story was originally published December 28, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
