CHARLOTTE — Get your snacks and your coffee ready, take a nap if you need to, because it's going to be a late one on Monday. The Panthers (6-5) are playing their first prime time game this season, a Monday Night Football showdown with the San Francisco 49ers (7-4).

The NFC matchup could end up having playoff implications, as the Panthers head into the final quarter of games. Half a game back from the Bucs, who will play Sunday night against the Rams (8-2), this weekend also has the potential to affect the division race.

"It's about consistency and the improvement that has to happen throughout the year is what I'm most proud of," coach Dave Canales said Saturday, of his team putting themselves in this fight.

"We've battled to be in this position that we're in, and now the challenge is to keep that focus and to continue to get better. The teams in this time of the year, going into the end of the season, that can find a way to improve fundamentally are the teams that set themselves up for success. We have to be that.

"We have to make sure that our principles, the things we care about, show up every day at practice. Then show up on the games late in the season right now, and so I'm just, I'm really proud of the group. I'm really proud of this team that battles and fights every game all the way to the end to try to put us in this position."

Monday night will call for that fight, with the Panthers on the national stage against a strong 49ers team. With that in mind, here are five things to watch in the game.

Can the offense keep up explosive play?

The Panthers' offense exploded last week against the Falcons, as Bryce Young threw for a franchise-record 446 passing yards and three touchdowns, throwing to nine different receivers. It was a historic day. Now the challenge becomes doing it again.

Offensive coordinator Brad Idzik referenced this week how there can be carryover, just from seeing concepts come alive. But as Young said Thursday, they also have to remember that the performance in one game doesn't entitle them to thinking the same will just automatically happen in the next game.

"It's great we know what we're capable of, but again that doesn't entitle us to anything," preached Young. "We're going to start the whatever the first play is, it's gonna be 0 to 0, and we're gonna have to try to earn the right to go out there and win.

"There's no carryover. It doesn't matter, so we always trust each other, we always believe in each other, know what we're capable of, but we have to earn the right throughout the week. We have to earn the right on Monday to go out there and execute."

The San Francisco defense is 24th overall in the league, allowing an average of 352.9 yards per game, and 27th in passing defense, giving up 249.1 yards per game through the air. Some of that is skewed after allowing 452 passing yards to Jacoby Brissett last week.

Despite injuries that have ravaged the 49ers' defense (Nick Bosa, Fred Warner, Yetur Gross-Matos, Mykel Williams, to name a few), and put them at the bottom of the league in total sacks (12), Young sees a group on tape under coordinator Robert Saleh that can still wreck a game plan.

"A really good group, a group that plays together really well, you could tell how much they've embraced the scheme, how well they play it, they communicate really well, they're dynamic at all three levels," Young said. "Up front, it's a really cohesive group. They work really well in the run-pass game to disrupt things.

"The second level, play really well together, very physical, fast, and then, a really good, really good third level as well, in the secondary. Do a great job of matching patterns and being sticky in man coverage, do a good job of getting after the ball and disruption, and then in zones being where they're supposed to be in their spots."

The Panthers' offense has found some deep-ball success, though, and that will be what the unit tries to replicate again on Monday night, in what could end up being a shootout. According to ESPN Research, the Panthers are 25th in pass rush win rate (33.3 percent) and 31st in pressure rate (25.1 percent), while the Niners are 31st in pass rush win rate (30.8 percent) and 32nd in pressure rate (21.5 percent).

In Week 11, Young completed 10 of his 15 pass attempts of 10-plus air yards for a career-high 212 yards and two touchdowns. Entering Week 11, Young had completed 38.3 percent of his downfield attempts (third-lowest in the NFL) and averaged 7.4 yards per attempt (second-fewest) while throwing four touchdowns and five interceptions.

The Panthers have used empty formations on a league-leading 10.8 percent of snaps this season. Bryce Young's 394 passing yards from empty sets are the second-most in the NFL, while his three touchdown passes are tied for third-most, and he has not thrown an interception.

Does Chuba get folded in more?

That passing game being put on tape will (ideally) open up the run game more. After weeks near the top of the league, defenses have focused on shutting down the run game. The Panthers found an answer through the air against Atlanta. Can the dividend be on the ground in San Francisco?

The Niners are in the Top 12 in rushing defense, only giving up 103.8 yards per game on the ground. However, in the weeks since Fred Warner has been injured (Weeks 6-11), the 49ers have allowed 4.2 yards per carry on inside designed runs, ceding 1.3 yards before contact per rush and producing just a 9.5 percent run stuff rate.

"Obviously, (Sunday) gives more film for other teams to watch, they got to stay on their toes, they got to respect the run and the pass, and we can affect them with whatever we call it," noted Tetairoa McMillan this week. "So, just obviously, you know, other teams are gaining more respect for our pass game as well as our run game. I feel like it's only going to open up what we're able to do."

If that's the case, the next question becomes, could Chuba Hubbard be folded in more again?

The veteran back told reporters on Tuesday that he felt faster than he had since his calf injury in Week 4, and finally back to where he wants to be.

"Over the last few weeks, it's definitely gotten better and just kind of continues to build my confidence off that," said Hubbard.

According to Next Gen Stats, Hubbard has allowed zero pressures on 26 pass blocks this season, the most pass blocks of any running back who has not allowed a pressure. Which begs the question: could Hubbard find his way back up the snap count through RPO sets or plays of the like, which lean on his rushing and blocking ability?

"Absolutely," answered Canales on Saturday. "Just any way that we can use these guys, we try to, and Chuba, it's from his study habits. He's really conscientious. He's into it, and he talks to the guys, and when our offensive line group is going through pressures, Chuba's down there talking to the guys, 'Where should my eyes be on this one if Bryce edits the protection?' Being connected to all that, and he's right in the middle of all of it."

How do the linebackers look?

The Panthers are going to be playing without their two starting linebackers, Trevin Wallace (shoulder) and Christian Rozeboom (hip/hamstring). That means Claudin Cherelus and Krys Barnes will get the call. Both have started games before, Cherelus as recently as last week in place of Wallace. He finished versus the Falcons with 10 tackles.

"Me and Krys actually had a lot of reps in training camp together, so very familiar with how he'll play certain stuff," Cherelus said this week. "And we all talk a lot in the linebacker room, so I'm pretty sure regardless of who's in the lineup, who's on the field together, we'll be good."

The task at hand would be difficult for even the most experienced linebacker, though, and for that matter, any defense. Stopping this 49ers offense, led by Christian McCaffrey and George Kittle, requires incredible discipline. The Niners have the fifth-most yards after catch of any offense in the league this season.

"I mean, in my experience, just playing the 49ers, what makes them an explosive team is just how good their guys are after the catch," recalled safety Nick Scott, who faced San Fran for years as a division rival with the Rams. "Like, the amount of plays I've been on the field with the 49ers that have become explosive, but the ball was caught within 5 yards of the line of scrimmage is a lot of their plays, honestly, because they're so talented after the catch.

"So the main thing is just playing our technique and when that ball is caught, just having population and holding on the body parts and making sure those guys aren't creating yardage after the catch."

Echoed Cherelus, "Get populations to the ball, and trust your leverage. Regardless of what you're in, you just make sure you have good leverage and you're keyed into your matchup."

Another possibility to watch for is to deploy safety Tre'von Moehrig more as a linebacker to help, something the Panthers have done at times throughout this season.

According to Next Gen Stats, Moehrig has played 26.6 percent of his snaps as a linebacker and 6.6 percent aligned on the line of scrimmage – he is the only Panthers defender (min. 20 snaps) who has not played at a specific position group (DL, LB, DB) on at least 85 percent of his snaps. As such, they have deployed him as a pass rusher 28 times, and he has generated 10 pressures, tied with Kyle Hamilton for the most by any safety.

Moehrig has allowed 5.1 yards per target in coverage, the fewest by any safety targeted at least 25 times, and his 77.5 passer rating allowed ranks as the fifth-lowest among that group.

The McCaffrey complex (featuring George Kittle)

The two guys who bring about most of those yards after the catch are such a problem that they deserve to headline their own separate section as well.

McCaffrey leads everyone in the NFL with 1,439 yards from scrimmage. He has 707 yards on the ground, which is 13th in the league. But he also makes a living after the catch. Of his 732 receiving yards, 77 percent came after the catch, 566 total, which leads all receivers in the NFL.

"You keep him in front of you," said Derrick Brown, as to how you defend such a threat. "Because once he gets by you, you've got a lot of problems. You've got to find him quickly, I'll tell you that.

"I mean, he's dynamic, right? He blocks in the run game. He freaking gets out and gets wide open, and I mean, he's got the speed to be able to get into the secondary. I mean, he's just definitely like a triple threat."

Whether he's rushing it or catching it (and then running it), CMC is notorious for losing guys in the open field. He has forced a league-high 72 missed tackles on his touches this season, and his 300 yards gained off missed tackles are the sixth-most in the NFL.

"That's why you got to be disciplined with him," said Barnes. "You can't be leaning. You can't be jumping out of gaps. Be where you're supposed to be. So that's the main focus this week, obviously, with all of us is be your 1/11th. No need to jump around gaps. Stay front side, stay backside if you're a backside player.

"And, he can still make you exposed even if you're where you're supposed to be. So, kudos to him, and that's a lot of credit to where he is. I have a lot of respect for him as a running back.

"So he creates a lot of issues, but I think, like I said, I think it comes down to us communicating, being on the right page, and nonetheless just having the effort from the start to finish. I think effort is going to be the telltale of everything this week."

Then there's Kittle, who has caught 27 of his 30 targets this season for a 90.0 percent catch rate that leads all tight ends with at least 15 targets. He's been especially effective downfield, catching eight of nine targets over 10 air yards for three touchdowns, tied for the second-most downfield touchdowns among tight ends.

"I feel like (Tucker) Kraft was a decent preview to Kittle," offered nickel Chau Smith-Wade this week. "So I feel like we're kind of familiar with a tight end able to get the ball and do some things with it.

"So, you know, with that being said, I think that we've seen it already, and that was a decent preview for us to be able to go out and see Kittle this week."

The Panthers kept Kraft to two receptions for 20 yards on three targets before he left the game with an injury in the third quarter.

Getting after Purdy

In his first game back since Week 4, Niners quarterback Brock Purdy finished 19-of-26 for 200 yards, three touchdowns, and no interceptions, while taking one sack. In the 49ers' win, Purdy averaged a 3.33-second time to throw, the fourth-longest in his career.

Some of that was the offensive line, giving him time. Some of it was Purdy, moving well after the toe injury. But a lot of it was also the Cardinals' defense giving him a ton of cushion. Despite the long time to throw, Purdy faced just a 25.0 percent pressure rate, tied for the fourth-lowest rate in his career.

Defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero spent years on the Rams staff, facing a Kyle Shanahan offense twice a season. When he turns on the Purdy tape, he sees a QB running the offense efficiently, as it's always been run.

"The plays are the same for the most part, even when you look back to (Jimmy) Garoppolo and all the different quarterbacks they had over the years, they haven't really changed the flavor of plays," Evero shared this week.

"So, I think the one thing we'll have to be ready for (is) more boots and keepers, but aside from that, I think, we're going to see the same flavor of plays."

Purdy has thrown on a designed rollout on 10.4 percent of his throws this season.

The Panthers are still near the bottom of the league in total sacks (28th overall), with 16 thus far this season. But a bright spot has been rookie Nic Scourton, who has continued to flourish with each start.

Scourton leads the team with 22 pressures, including eight in under 2.5 seconds, and is the only healthy defensive lineman to generate a pressure rate above 10 percent. His 10.2 percent mark ranks fifth-highest among rookies with at least 150 pass rushes.

His 3.0 sacks are the second-most among rookies, and his six run stuffs for loss or no gain are tied for the 10th-most among edge rushers.