NFL
NFL Week 12
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Bryce Young and the Carolina Panthers head out west to face Brock Purdy, Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers on “Monday Night Football.”
Follow our writers for news, updates and analysis on tonight's game.
Check out this week’s live coverage schedule on The Athletic
Q1 3:40 – 49ers 7, Panthers 0
I mentioned Jaycee Horn in the build up being the anchor of the Panthers secondary. He gets a HUGE interception off Brock Purdy to put the Panthers in favorable scoring position.
What a play!
Q1 3:49 – 49ers 7, Panthers 0
The Carolina Panthers have a three-and-out to start the game. An offensive holding penalty stymies the Panthers, which get short of the first down marker.
Carolina punts to San Francisco. The 49ers start at their 8-yard line.
The thin state of the Panthers' linebacker corps showed up on the 49ers' first touchdown drive. Krys Barnes, filling in for the injured Christian Rozeboom, was among three defenders who had a shot to bring Jauan Jennings down short of the goal line. Cornerback Jaycee Horn and safety Nick Scott were the others. They failed.
Christian McCaffrey's had more than 100 combined yards in all but one game so far. He's got 40 yards midway through the first quarter.
The 49ers’ opening drive took up 8:43, the team’s longest drive since Nov. 17, 2024 against Seattle.
Jauan Jennings got the touchdown but Christian McCaffrey was the workhorse. The 49ers running back had nine touches on the 15-play opening drive, including the first five.
Q1 6:17 – 49ers 7, Panthers 0
What a sizzling start for the 49ers! Brock Purdy fires a short pass to Jauan Jennings, who breaks a tackle and runs into the end zone for 12 yards.
San Francisco takes the lead after a 15-play, 72-yard touchdown drive.
Q1 7:43 – Panthers 0, 49ers 0
Brian Robinson Jr. runs to the outside for 4 yards on third-and-2. Carolina's defense is struggling to stop the run.
First down 49ers, who are inching closer to the end zone!
Q1 10:20 – Panthers 0, 49ers 0
Christian McCaffrey runs 6 yards up the middle on third-and-3 to pick up the first down. He's been having a fantastic game so far.
San Francisco is in Carolina territory!
Q1 13:34 – Panthers 0, 49ers 0
Christian McCaffrey showcases his athleticism to get the first down off the 11-yard completion. What a play!
Q1 15:00 – Panthers 0, 49ers 0
We're underway from Levi's Stadium with San Francisco having the ball.
The Star-Spangled Banner is performed ahead of tonight’s “Monday Night Football.” We are moments away from kickoff of tonight‘s pivotal game.
Get excited, football fans!
Tonight is the first Monday Night Football game for the Carolina Panthers since the 2023 season. It’s also been a long time since the Panthers were above .500 at Week 12 of the season.
The last time this occurred was 2018 when the Panthers were also 6-5. Carolina hasn’t made the playoffs since the 2017 season.
Last week in their 30-27 overtime win over the Atlanta Falcons, the Carolina Panthers became the first team since the San Francisco 49ers in Week 10 of the 2024 season to have five players with 50-plus receiving yards in the same game. Those players were Tetairoa McMillan (130), Xavier Legette (83), Rico Dowdle (55), Tommy Tremble (54), and Jalen Coker (52).
It’s been a stellar rookie season for Tetairoa McMillan. He leads the Panthers in receiving yards with 748, along with 54 catches and four touchdowns.
He is second in the NFL among WR rookies in receiving yards. T-Mac joined Ja’Marr Chase, Malik Nabers, Puka Nacua and Chris Olave as the only rookies in the last five seasons to record 50-plus catches & 700-plus yards in the first 11 games.
Based on warmups, 49ers rookie linebacker Nick Martin will continue his role as strongside linebacker and Spencer Burford will start at left guard. He’s been alternating series with Ben Bartch.
San Francisco 49ers legend Roger Craig is in attendance tonight for “Monday Night Football.” He embraced current 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey pregame.
The Panthers have been hit or miss covering tight ends this year, and George Kittle is one of the best receiving tight ends of all time. Kittle missed five games after injuring his hamstring in Week 1. But he appears to be back to his old form: Kittle has 19 receptions on 19 targets the past three games (and 27 catches on 30 targets for the season).
Jaycee Horn is having a solid season. The Panthers cornerback is leading the team in interceptions with three. He also has 15 solo tackles.
It will be interesting to see which receiver Horn matches up against. He will need to play a great game if the Panthers are going to win tonight.
