Finally, a Respectable Power Ranking Spot for the Carolina Panthers

It's entirely too early for anyone to be considering which NFL teams are the best, but that hasn't stopped anyone. Power Rankings following the Super Bowl are all the rage right now, ranking teams like the Carolina Panthers against one another.

Yesterday, we saw two egregious misfires with the Panthers. ESPN ranked them 22nd, below a few astonishing teams (including the Tampa Bay Buccaneers). FOX Sports outdid them by ranking them 24th.

It made us start to wonder if we'd hallucinated all of 2025. Did the Panthers not take the division from the Bucs? Did they not beat the Packers (on the road) and the Rams as double-digit underdogs? Did they not nearly upset the Rams in the playoffs?

Fortunately, someone has come to their senses. Bleacher Report's ranking is much, much better. According to the outlet, the Panthers are the 14th-best team right now, which is far more accurate than 22nd or 24th.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales thanks quarterback Andy Dalton | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

"The Carolina Panthers made significant progress between head coach Dave Canales' first two campaigns, and they picked up quarterback Bryce Young's fifth-year option after his best season. The Panthers are headed in the right direction," Moe Moton argued.

He continued, "The Young-Tetairoa McMillan connection will grow, but Carolina needs a running back as Rico Dowdle prepares for free agency and more playmakers on the defensive side of the ball to stay atop the NFC South."

While the argument that they need a running back is probably not accurate (remember Jonathon Brooks and Trevor Etienne?), the other points remain. They do need more playmakers on defense, but when they get them, this team will continue to improve.

And if they're improving on eight wins and a division title, then they're certainly worth of being ranked right around the NFL playoff field. 16 teams make the playoffs, and based on this, the Panthers are within that range once again.

There aren't any egregious misses, either. The Panthers are 14th, and all the teams ahead of them deserve to be there. There's no foolhardy placement of the Kansas City Chiefs (six wins and a QB with a torn ACL) or Tampa Bay Buccaneers (declining and lost the division to Carolina) ahead of the Panthers.

Finally, someone in the NFL world seems to know just what's going on with the Panthers.

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