New York Knicks guard Jalen Brunson had been deemed too small, by many a pundit, to be the man on a world championship team. Well, it turns out they were all dead wrong.. On Saturday night, Brunson dropped 45 points to guide the Knicks to a Game 5 win over the San Antonio Spurs in the NBA Finals. The victory clinched the franchise their first title since 1973, and left the 6-foot-2, 190-pound guard on top of the basketball world.. Advertisement. Advertisement. Advertisement. So, uh, Carolina Panthers fans—do you know of a professional sports club with an undersized leader and a long-time championship drought . . . ?. In honor of the Knicks’ magical season, Bryan DeArdo of CBS Sports just ranked the NFL teams that are most likely to end their Super Bowl-less runs in 2026. Of the 17 franchises listed, DeArdo has the Panthers at No. 11:. Carolina’s chances of repeating as division champs will largely depend on the health of starters Ikem Ekwonu and Tershawn Wharton. Ekwonu continues to work his way back from a knee injury sustained in January. Wharton recently underwent a neck procedure and is expected to start training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list.. Quarterback Bryce Young will also need to elevate his game if the Panthers are going to become a legitimate Super Bowl contender. While his growth over the past two years has been impressive, Young needs to become more of a playmaker and less of a game manager.. As DeArdo notes, Young has shown some progress. This past year, while helping the Panthers to their first playoff appearance since 2017 and their first NFC South crown since 2015, the former No. 1 overall pick threw for career-highs in yards (3,011), touchdowns (23) and completion rate (63.6 percent).. But Young has still left a bit to be desired. He’s passed for at least 250 yards in just seven of his 44 pro starts, a ratio that simply won’t get it done in today’s NFL.. Advertisement. Advertisement. Advertisement. If he can take another step up, however, perhaps the Panthers can get closer to capturing the first Lombardi Trophy of their 32-year existence.. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.. This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Can the Panthers be the Knicks of the NFL in 2026?