As expected, the Carolina Panthers came out of their weekend trip to South Beach with a ‘0’ still sitting in the victory column. Their 42-21 loss to the Miami Dolphins sent them to their sixth straight defeat and kept them as the NFL’s only winless team heading into their bye.
So, naturally, this week’s power rankings didn’t treat these 0-6 Panthers too kindly . . .
Touchdown Wire
Author: Jarrett Bailey
Rank: 32 (-1)
Take: “If only the Dolphins had spotted the Panthers a 35-point lead instead of a 14-point lead, maybe they could have held on and won.”
USA TODAY
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “Little has gone right for Carolina, but at least WR Adam Thielen continues to shine. Only two undrafted players have more 100-yard receiving games than his 24, and only one (Wes Welker) has more with double-digit catches than Thielen’s eight.”
NFL.com
Author: Eric Edholm
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “We might be fresh out of unbeaten teams after Week 6, but we do have one team that stands alone at the bottom — the 0-6 Panthers, who would have enjoyed this week’s bye had they somehow found a way to hang onto a 14-0 lead in Miami. It never felt likely, but you’d hardly call Sunday a poor showing. The Panthers ran the ball relatively well, and Bryce Young played a turnover-free game with some encouraging moments. The defense wasn’t great but did force three three-and-outs and had a pick-six. Look, I think there’s a decent chance the Panthers won’t finish the season in this spot, or at the very least, I’d be shocked if they don’t win a game. In fact, I’ll say they win a game before the end of November. There is talent here.”
ESPN
Author: David Newton
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “History supports this as only once since 1967 has a quarterback taken No. 1 overall had a winning record. So Bryce Young, as mature and advanced as he was advertised, being 0-5 for the 0-6 Panthers is not a huge surprise. Young needs more targets, particularly with speed, and upgrades to the offensive line to become successful — as has been evident with an offense ranked 23rd in scoring averaging 18.7 points per game.”
CBS Sports
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “This is going to be a long, long season for this a group. The defense is a major problem, which many didn’t see coming.”
Pro Football Talk
Author: Mike Florio
Rank: 31 (-)
Take: “Running a successful hedge fund is nothing like running a successful NFL team.”
