Carolina Panthers (6-5) @ San Francisco 49ers (7-4)
Monday, November 24, 8:20 PM ET
I absolutely love this matchup for primetime. The San Francisco 49ers just got quarterback Brock Purdy back, and immediately put up 40-plus points. Not that Mac Jones wasn’t playing well, because he was, but there’s an extra jolt you could feel from this team with their quarterback under center again.
These are two teams we haven’t gotten to see play a ton this year in terms of the national audience. The Panthers have scratched and clawed their way into the mix for the NFC South division lead, and if the Bucs lose on Sunday night, Carolina might be playing for a first-place tie.
The 49ers, on the other hand, are going to be doing their best to keep pace in the NFC West, which has been ridiculously competitive, and hoping the Bucs can go on the road and upset the Rams.
Despite the quality of the NFC West this year, the 49ers have a chance to win that division, even with a list of injuries that would sink most ships around the NFL. The job that’s been done by Kyle Shanahan this year cannot be overstated.
While the Panthers have been a great story and an interesting team at times this year, I just can’t see them going into San Francisco and finding a way to pull out a win. Bryce Young played maybe the best game we’ve ever seen from him this past weekend, but Robert Saleh defenses are a different beast.
The 49ers are seven-point home favorites here, and I could see them running away with this game. That’s a team that, when it catches momentum, it’s tough to slow down. Christian McCaffrey can let his old team know what they’re missing.
Prediction: 49ers win 38-21