The Carolina Panthers, who seemed all but dead two and a half weeks ago, almost made one heck of a jump this past Sunday. A win over the Atlanta Falcons would’ve catapulted them right atop the NFC South.
But, it wasn’t to be.
So how much damage did their stock take across the power rankings following their crushing Week 8 defeat? Let’s take a look.
Touchdown Wire
Author: Mark Lane
Rank: 30 (-)
Take: “The magic of Steve Wilks, PJ Walker, and Chuba Hubbard can only take a team so far. The Panthers had a chance to revitalize their season in the wide open NFC South, but couldn’t seal the deal in overtime against the Atlanta Falcons.”
USA TODAY
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 28 (+1)
Take: “Christian who? RB D’Onta Foreman has rushed for 118 yards in both Carolina games since McCaffrey was traded. CMC hasn’t had as many as 118 on the ground since 2019.”
NFL.com
Author: Dan Hanzus
Rank: 29 (+1)
Take: “You might not find a more cruel defeat all season. The Panthers tied the Falcons with a miracle D.J. Moore touchdown in the final seconds, but a missed Eddy Piñeiro extra point (made considerably more challenging by Moore’s post-score exuberance) was followed by a chip-shot field-goal miss in overtime in a 37-34 defeat. The blood-curdling setback cost Carolina a share of first place in the absurd NFC South. On the positive side, P.J. Walker played well in his second start and will get the nod next Sunday, even with Sam Darnold (ankle) finally expected to make his return to the active roster. It’s looking increasingly possible Baker Mayfield has already played his last snap in Charlotte.”
ESPN
Author: David Newton
Rank: 28 (+2)
Take: “Despite Sunday’s overtime loss to the Falcons, the Panthers remain only two games back in the loss column to Atlanta and are only one game out of second place. They also are 2-1 in the division and get the Falcons again on Nov. 10. So like the 2014 season, when they were 3-8-1 with four games left and won out to clinch the division, they still have a shot. And they are playing well enough now to win.”
CBS Sports
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 29 (+2)
Take: “They found a new way to lose a game against Atlanta, but that’s what bad teams do. The offense has shown some life with P.J. Walker at quarterback.”
Pro Football Talk
Author: Mike Florio
Rank: 25 (+7)
Take: “If they can recover from what happened in Atlanta, Steve Wilks definitely should keep the job for 2023.”
