Well, at least the Carolina Panthers aren’t coming off a loss this time around.
Week 7 brought a bit of a reprieve for the 0-6 Panthers, who may have been licking their wounds during their bye. But, that doesn’t mean they didn’t fall even further across the latest set of power rankings . . .
Touchdown Wire
Author: Jarrett Bailey
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “If only every week could be the Panthers’ bye week so we didn’t have to watch their offense.”
USA TODAY
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “The next three quarterbacks they were supposed to face were Houston’s C.J. Stroud, Indy’s Anthony Richardson and Chicago’s Justin Fields. Now it might be Stroud, Gardner Minshew II and Tyson Bagent. Carolina’s first win(s) might be just around the corner.”
NFL.com
Author: Eric Edholm
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “While the Panthers sat on bye, many of the teams immediately above them won games. Much of the recent talk in Charlotte has revolved around which Carolina players could be on the move before the Oct. 31 trade deadline, one year after the team dealt Christian McCaffrey and Robbie Chosen. The biggest name to watch this time around is DE Brian Burns, who staged a hold-in during the preseason and was a hot name prior to last year’s deadline. According to one report, the Panthers apparently turned down a Rams offer of two first-round picks and a second-rounder in exchange for Burns last October. Think Carolina would be interested in that kind of deal at this juncture? Maybe the Panthers actually trade for a receiver to help out Bryce Young. Carolina should be open for business. But it also wouldn’t hurt to win a game, if for nothing else than to just give this group a little hope.”
ESPN
Author: David Newton
Rank: 32 (-)
Take (on the team’s “young riser”): “This might be part of Carolina’s problem. There aren’t any other young players who have made a major impact outside of Young, and the top pick of this year’s draft has struggled with consistency along with the rest of the team. Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo would be the second pick here, but he has only 15 catches for 133 yards and no touchdowns. Young, 22, kind of wins this category by default.”
CBS Sports
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “They come off their bye with a change in play-calling duties with coach Frank Reich giving them up. It’s a way to try and jump-start the offense, but that unit has problems bigger than that.”
Pro Football Talk
Author: Mike Florio
Rank: 32 (-1)
Take: “Insert “they did not lose to the bye week” joke here.”
