Week 12 comes to a close with a “Monday Night Football” matchup featuring the Carolina Panthers (6-5) and San Francisco 49ers (7-4). While the Detroit Lions don’t have either of these teams on their 2025 schedule, both teams are in the NFC Playoff hunt—the Panthers are tied for the lead in the NFC South, while the 49ers are clawing towards an NFC Wild Card spot—so Lions fans will want to pay attention to the outcome here.
From a rooting perspective, Lions fans should be pulling for the Panthers, seeing as only one team is expected to make the Playoffs out of the South, while the 49ers could be a problem for the Lions if they don’t win the North. Here’s an excerpt from Jeremy Reisman’s Lions’ rooting guide from Week 12:
“The 49ers are one of the biggest threats to a Lions playoff spot, currently sitting in the seventh and final spot. While the Panthers would enter the conversation here with a win, I don’t suspect they’ll hang around too long with games against the Rams, Seahawks, and two bouts with the Buccaneers still on the schedule.”
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Here’s how to watch tonight’s game:
Panthers at 49ers
When: Monday, November 24, 2025 — 8:15 p.m. ET
Where: Levi’s Stadium, Santa Clara, California
TV: ESPN/ABC
Announcers: Joe Buck and Troy Aikman, with field reporters Lisa Salters and Laura Rutledge
Online streaming: ESPN+, Hulu + Live TV, NFL+
Manningcast on ESPN2: featuring guests Colin Jost and Michael Che from Saturday Night Live.
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