The Carolina Panthers may still be losing games, but they’re definitely gaining more respect.
Week 14 saw the heavy underdogs almost take out the surging Philadelphia Eagles, who captured their ninth straight win. Sunday’s 22-16 defeat marked Carolina’s third straight near-upset of a playoff team, with the Kansas City Chiefs and Tampa Bay Buccaneers also getting quite a scare from the Panthers.
So, let’s take a look at where these feisty cats stand across the power rankings heading into Week 15:
USA TODAY
Bill Streicher-Imagn Images
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 23 (+1)
Take: “They’ve lost three in a row coming out of their bye … yet are playing markedly better football and are about three plays away from being 6-7 and in the thick of the NFC South race. However, RB Jonathon Brooks’ ACL re-injury is quite a bummer given the future role projected here for the explosive rookie.”
NFL.com
Mitchell Leff/Getty Images
Author: Eric Edholm
Rank: 26 (-)
Take: “Anyone who has watched Bryce Young over the past five or so games has to know he is a different quarterback now, way more like the Alabama version of himself and far less like the player he was in Carolina before being benched this season. Young nearly did enough at Philadelphia on Sunday to deliver what would have been the best win of the Dave Canales era, but he and the Panthers fell just short. Young’s 31-yard pass to Xavier Legette just before the two-minute warning — the QB avoided a safety before launching an off-balance throw from just outside the end zone — is the kind of play that would have ended badly for Young last season or, heck, even earlier this season. His throw to Legette in the final minute looked like a possible game-winner, but the rookie receiver couldn’t quite haul it in. That’s now three straight one-score losses to playoff-caliber teams. The Panthers still bear the league’s worst point differential (-155), but that’s badly skewed by their early-season blowout losses. The improvement has been tangible, even if the road back to respectability remains long.”
ESPN
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Author: David Newton
Rank: 26 (-)
Take: ” [Bryce] Young’s QBR of 62.8 over his past five games is better than that of Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, Bo Nix and Jayden Daniels, to name a few. This is shocking because Young had a QBR of 9.9 in his first two starts of the season and only 34.1 last season as a rookie. His improvement has been remarkable.
CBS Sports
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 25 (+1)
Take: “They are playing better, which is a good sign going forward. Playing the Eagles even on the road was impressive.”
Pro Football Talk
Emilee Chinn/Getty Images)
Author: Mike Florio
Rank: 26 (-)
Take: “They’re playing better, but at some point they need to win a game.”
Yahoo Sports
Eric Hartline-Imagn Images
Author: Frank Schwab
Rank: 22 (+3)
Take: “The Panthers can feel good about a strong recent stretch. But the loss of second-round draft pick Jonathon Brooks to another ACL tear is a big blow. The Panthers were careful with his return. It didn’t help him avoid the injury. We might not see Brooks in 2025, given the timing of his injury.”
