Would you like to venture a guess as to where the pundits have positioned a 1-10 team that just fired their head coach? Well, you don’t have to!
Here’s where the Frank Reich-less Carolina Panthers sit across the power rankings after the damaging Week 12 loss in Tennessee . . .
Touchdown Wire
Author: Jarrett Bailey
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “Head coach wanted. You have a very hands-on owner who expects immediate success, your receivers are cereal boxes, and you don’t have a first-round pick. Apply here!”
USA TODAY
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “Under new management, revamped Carolina starts a three-week round robin through the NFC South. Be interesting to see if QB Bryce Young can reset and stir a little playoff havoc among clubs in the divisional hunt.”
NFL.com
Author: Eric Edholm
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “No one should have expected these Panthers to light up scoreboards week in and week out, but they haven’t passed the 15-point mark since mid-October. Frank Reich — whose expertise is in offense — and Bryce Young clearly weren’t making the kinds of strides one would hope for before the head coach was dismissed on Monday. We’re not sidestepping the talent problem; there are major limitations at receiver and on the offensive line. But even so, it’s been frustrating to see the same station-to-station offense crawl up the field for one or two scoring drives and often squander a respectable defensive effort. Now Young is on to his second head coach, with yet another shift at offensive coordinator (Jim Caldwell will advise Thomas Brown, who regains the play-calling duties he had earlier this season). And Young very well could have a new combination to work with in a few months.”
ESPN
Author: David Newton
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “The struggles on offense, in particular rookie QB Bryce Young, are why coach Frank Reich was fired Monday. The Panthers have averaged only 11.5 points the past four games and haven’t scored more than 15 points the past five games. The offensive line is making history in a bad way by giving up 40 sacks on Young. On defense, the Panthers give up 304.5 yards per game (ranks seventh) and opponents score 26.5 points per game (ranks 30th). However, they allow many points off turnovers. For example, the Colts scored 27, but 14 came on pick-sixes.”
CBS Sports
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: “Owner David Tepper fired coach Frank Reich on Monday, which means his anger officially boiled over. They have to be worried about Bryce Young’s progress — and maybe future.”
Pro Football Talk
Author: Mike Florio
Rank: 32 (-1)
Take: “They’d be a little higher if the owner, and not the coach, had been fired on Monday.”
