The Carolina Panthers were making a modest trek up the power rankings following their Week 3 win over the New Orleans Saints.
Welp, about that . . .
Now, let’s see how far they’ve slipped back down after their Week 4 loss to the Arizona Cardinals.
Touchdown Wire
Author: Mark Lane
Rank: 31 (-3)
Take: “It is going about as well as one could expect for a team that had a QB battle between Baker Mayfield and Sam Darnold. The Panthers are good enough to kick around some of the bad teams in the NFL, but really can’t even crack into the middle tier. The good news is they are trending towards a high 2023 draft pick, which will be a boon for Matt Rhule’s successor.”
USA TODAY
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 26 (-3)
Take: “Based on ESPN’s QBR metric, Baker Mayfield (15.4) is easily the league’s worst quarterback … hence growing questions about when Carolina might have injured Sam Darnold back as an option.”
NFL.com
Author: Dan Hanzus
Rank: 31 (-2)
Take: “With each passing week, it’s become increasingly clear the Panthers still have no answer at quarterback. Baker Mayfield struggled mightily yet again on Sunday against the Cardinals, missing open receivers and seeing several of his pass attempts swatted down at the line of scrimmage. It’s time for a change, but it’s not that easy for Matt Rhule. It was reported — and later confirmed by Rhule — on Monday that Sam Darnold (last year’s offseason QB acquisition who didn’t work out) is not close to returning from his high-ankle sprain, while third-round pick Matt Corral exited the picture in the summer after sustaining a foot injury. That means Rhule is probably stuck with Mayfield, who was on the receiving end of a resounding chorus of boos from the Panthers faithful on Sunday. The times, they are not good in Charlotte.'”
ESPN
Author: David Newton
Rank: 31 (-2)
Take: “The biggest issue on defense is …the fourth quarter. The Panthers are allowing 10.5 points a game in the final quarter to rank among the worst in the league. That’s been costly for a team that continues to lose close games, and fatigue might be a problem. The offense has been so bad with three-and-outs and turnovers that the defense continues to be forced back on the field. Sunday’s 26-16 loss to Arizona was a prime example as the Cardinals had the ball for just over 38 minutes to 21:25 for Carolina.”
CBS Sports
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 30 (-1)
Take: “The Baker Mayfield experiment just isn’t working. He is playing poorly, and this team could be headed for a coaching change.”
Pro Football Talk
Author: Mike Florio
Rank: 28 (-3)
Take: “At least Matt Rhule will be home to light the Yule log.”
