The Carolina Panthers return home from their bye week to face the back-to-back Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs at Bank of America Stadium. Riding a two-game winning streak, the Panthers look to win a third straight game since Weeks One to Three of the 2021 season.
This will mark the eighth matchup between the two clubs, with the Chiefs leading the series 5-2. The two last met in Week Nine of the 2020 season, an eventual 33-31 win for the Chiefs.
The Panthers enter Week 12 on a two-game winning streak behind a 3-7 record. With two wins in a row, this is the Panthers first win streak since Weeks 12-14 of 2022 (Bye Week 13). Most recently, Carolina defeated the New York Giants, 20-17, in overtime at Allianz Arena in Munich, Germany as a part of the 2024 NFL International Games, marking their second international game in franchise history, a 37-26 victory over Tampa Bay in London during the 2019 season. This was also the Panthers first overtime win since Week Eight of 2015 against the Colts.
Kansas City travels to the Queen City tied for the best record in the NFL at 9-1 and with the top seed in the AFC. The Chiefs, fresh off a 30-21 loss to the Bills in Buffalo, had won their previous nine games and look to become the first team in NFL history to win three-straight Super Bowls
The Matchup
About Carolina
- After starting the same offensive line in back-to-back weeks for the first time since Weeks Six and Seven, the Panthers allowed just one sack for the second- consecutive game. From Weeks Nine to 10, they ranked fifth in sacks allowed (2.0) and tied for fifth this season (18.0).
- The Panthers defense finished with three takeaways against the Giants, their most since Week Three of the 2022 season against the Saints.
- Against the Giants, RB Chuba Hubbard set career-highs in carries (28) and rushing yards (153) in Week 10. Hubbard ranks fourth in the NFL this year in rushing yards (818), eighth in rushing first downs (40), ninth in carries (161), 10th in rushing average (5.08) and tied for 11th in rushes of 10+ yards (19).
- With a pass defensed, CB Jaycee Horn surpassed 10 on the season, his most in a single-season in his career. Horn is tied for eighth in the league in passes defensed. He co-led the Panthers with eight tackles (six solo) against the Giants.
- In his first game in a Panthers uniform, OLB D.J. Wonnum notched a sack, as well as a tackle for loss in the second quarter. He finished the game with six tackles (four solo), 1.0 sack, two quarterback hits, two tackles for loss, and one forced fumble.
About Kansas City
- In his fi rst 100 career regular season starts, QB Patrick Mahomes has totaled 78 regular season wins, besting former QB Tom Brady and PFHOF Roger Staubach for most wins by a QB in their fi rst 100 starts. With 234 touchdown passes in his nothing but stellar career with the Kansas City Chiefs, QB Patrick Mahomes needs four more touchdown passes to pass PFHOF QB Len Dawson (237) for most touchdown passes thrown in a career with the club.
- From the 2018-23 season, Chiefs TE Travis Kelce landed himself in the NFL history book as he recorded fi ve of the top-10 single-season receiving yard marks for tight ends in the league’s existence. He set the record in 2020 with 1,416 receiving yards on 105 receptions.
- DT Chris Jones now owns 78.5 career sacks, tied for fourth in team history (dating back to 1982) with LB Justin Houston. He already owns the franchise record for most sacks by a defensive tackle or nose tackle. He now needs 0.5 sacks to stand alone in fourth place and is 8.5 sacks behind DE Neil Smith (86.5) for third-most sacks in franchise annals.
- Since Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo arrived in Kansas City in
2019, the Chiefs rank second in the NFL for QB hurries with 353.
Connections
Panthers OLB Charles Harris is from Kansas City and played collegiately at Missouri (2013-16). DT Jonathan Harris went to Lindenwood (2014-18) and DLs Todd Wash spent the 2004 season as a DC/LBs at Missouri Southern State.
Chiefs CB Joshua Williams is from Fayetteville, NC and played collegiately at Fayetteville State. OA Kevin Saxton was born in Indian Trail, NC and attended Appalachian State, where he played quarterback (2013). He served as the OC/Recruiting Coordinator at Cuthbertson High School in 2021. TE Noah Gray played collegiately at Duke (2017-20) and G Joe Thuney (2011-15) and DBs Dave Merritt (1989092) both went to NC State (2011-15). WR DeAndre Hopkins is a native of Central, SC and played collegiately at Clemson (2010-12). OLBs Rod Wilson is a native of Cross, SC and spent time at the University of South Carolina (2001-04, 20), Charleston Southern (2013-16) and Coastal Carolina (2021).
Panthers vs Chiefs
All-Time Series (Regular Season): 7 matchups | Kansas City leads 5-2
Last Regular Season Game: 11/8/20 | Carolina 31 at Kansas City 33
Series Record in Charlotte: 3 matchups | Kansas City leads 2-1
How to Watch
Kickoff: 1:00 p.m. ET CBS: Play by Play – Tom McCarthy; Analyst – Jay Feely; Sideline – Amanda Balionis
Radio: WRFX 99.7FM in Charlotte market – Jim Szoke (Play by Play), Kurt Coleman (Color), Kevin Donnalley (Color), Sharon Thorsland (Sideline)
Per Release
UNC Continues to Shine into the Final Stretch