NFL Insider Makes Inaccurate Claim About Panthers, Still Gives Props for Growth

The Carolina Panthers were not one of the NFL's best teams last year, not by a long shot. Eight wins and a -69 point differential, even if they upset two of the best in the league, is probably just mediocre.

For the Panthers, though, mediocre is a huge step forward from plain awful. And in the NFC South, mediocre is enough to get into the playoffs, which was a crucial step for this young team.

CBS Sports analyst Pete Prisco can see as much, which is why he was fairly nice (while making an incorrect claim) about the Panthers in his post-Super Bowl power rankings.

Pete Prisco claims Panthers missed playoffs, likes the growth anyway

Carolina Panthers wide receiver Jalen Coker (18) celebrates his score with fans during the second half of the NFC Wild Card Round game | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

Pete Prisco must have forgotten about the Panthers' near-upset of the Los Angeles Rams in the Wild Card Round. It can be hard to remember every single thing from a national media perspective, to be fair. And the Panthers aren't exactly notable.

Still, they did make the playoffs, and there was a moment that it felt like they were certainly going to steal a win and move onto the Divisional Round. They didn't, but it was a major sign of growth for the franchise.

That growth, though, is something Prisco did see. He ranked them 16th in his power rankings and said, "They didn't make the playoffs in year two for Dave Canales, but they made progress. Bryce Young was better at times, but consistency is an issue."

Aside from falsely stating that Carolina didn't make the playoffs (though they were ranked ahead of every other NFC South team here), this is pretty much spot-on. The Panthers did show growth. Bryce Young was better but does need to be more consistent.

16th is also a really nice sight. There has been some weird variety in Carolina's power-ranking placement following the Super Bowl. FOX Sports had them 24th. ESPN had them 22nd. Those were pretty awful.

Then, Bleacher Report fairly ranked them 14th. 16th is a bit lower, but it's pretty accurate. If you exclude the division title that they only got by playing in a bad division, they were middle of the pack with eight wins.

Still, to come out of a season ranked there is a step in the right direction. In the last several years, they've ended up ranked much closer to the bottom than the top.

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