Whether you wanted to call it a rebuild or a retool, the Carolina Panthers’ 2023 season is off to a discouraging start.
The team moved to 0-3 this past Sunday, after falling to the Seattle Seahawks (and their very loud fans) at Lumen Field. While backup quarterback Andy Dalton helped bring some juice to the offense, the performance still wasn’t enough to get Carolina to light up their first dub.
Buy Panthers TicketsSo, where does that leave them across this week’s power rankings?
Touchdown Wire
Author: Jarrett Bailey
Rank: 28 (-2)
Take: “The Andy Dalton barometer of judging quarterback play is alive and well. Carolina looked better, but the reins will go back to Bryce Young. This is a marathon for the Panthers, not a sprint.”
USA TODAY
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 30 (-1)
Take: “Didn’t break through for their first win Sunday, but this offense functioned at a much higher level with QB Andy Dalton filling in for injured rookie Bryce Young.”
NFL.com
Author: Eric Edholm
Rank: 30 (-3)
Take: “It might have been a little alarming to see the Panthers’ passing game humming the way it did on Sunday with Andy Dalton and without Bryce Young, despite all the false-start penalties incurred and pressure Seattle applied. I expect the Panthers to go back to Young whenever he’s healthy, which should serve as a reminder of what this season is for. Young was always going to have to grow through some of these travails before he realistically could find his groove and thrive. But the question is: Can his offensive line give him a chance? The penalties and run blocking were both poor on Sunday, and the group has struggled all season. On top of that, the defense is really banged up.”
ESPN
Author: David Newton
Rank: 30 (-1)
Take: The real question here is what isn’t wrong? The run game was non-existent Sunday (14 carries for 44 yards), pass protection has been suspect since Week 1 and now this group had eight false starts at Seattle. Six of them came from their tackles, Ikem Ekwonu (4) and Taylor Moton (2). As coach Frank Reich said, they’ve got to figure it out.
CBS Sports
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 29 (-1)
Take: “At 0-3, they have put themselves in a big hole. Bryce Young missing the Seahawks game isn’t a good thing, even if Andy Dalton did OK. Young needs to play.”
Pro Football Talk
Author: Mike Florio
Rank: 30 (-)
Take: “Is it too late to sign Cam Newton again?”
