Carolina Panthers tumble in NFL power rankings after reality-check Week 4 loss

As it turns out, the Carolina Panthers' 30-point shutout of the Atlanta Falcons had a lot more to do with a historically poor performance offensively from Atlanta than anything Carolina did right. In Sunday's loss to New England the Panthers turned back into the pumpkin they've been since midway through the 2018 season, losing 42-13 and falling to 1-3 on the year.

The worst of it came from head coach Dave Canales and starting quarterback Bryce Young, who were totally in over their heads after the opening drive. However, the Panthers got embarrassed on offense, defense and special teams by a franchise that will be lucky to win nine games this year.

As is appropriate, Carolina has taken a significant tumble in this week's power rankings. Matt Johnson at Sportsnaut has them down four spots to No. 27 in the league.

"After rallying to fight back against Arizona and then shutting out the Falcons, it seemed like the Carolina Panthers were starting to find a bit of an early stride before October. That came to a screeching halt on Sunday in Foxborough. Falling behind big in the second quarter, Carolina had to abandon the ground game, and Bryce Young was ill-equipped to put this offense all on his shoulders. Fortunately for the Panthers, they will have an opportunity to rebound next week against the Dolphins."

Even if they beat the Dolphins at home next week in dominant fashion it's not going to inspire much hope in a fanbase that's learned the hard way not to get excited about any one victory - especially against teams that aren't going to the playoffs.

That seems to be about the best this team can do - beat up on the very worst teams around the NFL and then get pummeled by anybody who remotely knows what they're doing.

The Panthers probably aren't one or two or even three pieces away from being a contender, but it is fair to point out that this team would look a whole lot better with Adam Thielen and Christian McCaffrey on offense and Brian Burns and Jadeveon Clowney on defense.

At some point the front office has to quit trading away or releasing their best players - and find a QB/HC combo that can compete against more than just the five-worst teams in the NFL.

Sep 28, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots linebacker Christian Elliss (53) tackles Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) during the second half at Gillette Stadium. | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

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