​After a relatively successful 2025 campaign, the Carolina Panthers are on the prowl for a second straight NFC South title here in 2026. But some advanced metrics over from the worldwide leader may suggest that they’re going to come up empty.ESPN’s Bill Barnwell has named the most likely teams to suffer a decline this upcoming season. And citing their own FPI (Football Power Index) and DVOA (defense-adjusted value over average), Barnwell has the Panthers among the five candidates:Advanced metrics also suggest the Panthers weren’t the class of the NFC South. FPI pegged the Panthers as the league’s 25th-best team at the end of the regular season, which was actually the worst mark for any team in the division; the Bucs (19th), Saints (23rd) and Falcons (24th) all looked better to the algorithm. DVOA also had the Panthers 25th, ahead of only the Saints, who were 28th.Winning the NFC South wasn’t the greatest of accomplishments in the grand scheme of things. Carolina finished with a record of 8-9, as did Tampa Bay and Atlanta. The Panthers ended up atop the division thanks to a three-way tiebreaker—their head-to-head record in games versus the Buccaneers and Falcons.To win it more convincingly, and shake off this regression talk, the Panthers have to take more than another modest step forward. That—at the least—means head coach Dave Canales running a smoother operation, quarterback Bryce Young proving he’s a worthwhile investment under center and the long-dormant pass rush finally waking up.Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content.This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: ESPN names Panthers among 2026’s top regression candidates