The Carolina Panthers are still sitting in the same spot in Bleacher Report’s latest NFL Power Rankings, even after another loss sent them deeper into a shaky stretch.
Carolina dropped to the Green Bay Packers this past week and now stands at 3-4 on the season. The Panthers opened the year looking like a team on the rise, but the offense has cooled off badly over the last few weeks, and that has taken a lot of the shine off the early momentum.
That’s especially true for Bryce Young. After generating early-season MVP buzz, Young has hit a rough patch over his last two games.
He had looked like he was taking another step in his development, but his play has regressed lately. For the season, he has thrown for 1,921 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions, numbers that still show his value.
Even so, Carolina needs more from him if it wants to push back toward the playoffs.
The Panthers’ passing game was once one of the better units in football, and that was a big part of their identity early on. Right now, though, the offense is stuck in a funk, and the team has to find its rhythm again.
Bleacher Report kept Carolina at No. 18 in its latest rankings, leaving the Panthers exactly where they were before the loss to Green Bay.
The bigger issue is what’s happening around them. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gotten healthier in recent weeks, and they already own a major head-to-head edge after blowing out the Panthers two weeks ago. With that tiebreaker in hand and Tampa Bay playing better, Carolina can’t keep letting games slip away.
This week brings another difficult matchup, with the Denver Broncos coming to town. Denver has one of the better defenses in the league, which means the Panthers’ offense will have to snap out of its slump fast.
A loss would drop Carolina to 3-5, a tough hole to climb out of even in a weaker NFC South. Kickoff is set for 10:00 a.m.
PT/1:00 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium.
In Other News...
Panthers Trade Buzz Centers On Bryce Youngs Urgent Need
The Panthers need for another reliable pass-catching option has only grown as injuries have thinned out the group around Bryce Young, and that has pushed a familiar name into the conversation. According to Steven Ruiz of FOX Sports, Carolina has been linked to Colts wide receiver Josh Downs, who has reportedly asked for a trade, with the idea being that he could be available for a pair of 2027 fourth-round picks.
For a team trying to give Young a better chance to settle in and keep the offense moving, the fit is easy to see on paper. Downs is the kind of addition that would make sense for a roster looking for help now and a little more stability in the passing game, but the report is still speculative, and there is no confirmation the Panthers are actually moving on it. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Face A Tough Jackson Powers-Johnson Gamble Up Front
The Panthers are kicking around another possible fix for an offensive line that has had to stay flexible all season, and Jackson Powers-Johnson has surfaced as a name worth watching. The Raiders lineman has experience at both guard and center, which gives him the kind of versatility Carolina tends to value when it is trying to patch together protection and keep its options open up front.
Of course, the appeal comes with a catch. Powers-Johnson recently lost his starting job in Las Vegas, so any trade talk would have to start with figuring out why that happened before Carolina even considers sending over a late draft pick. It is the sort of gamble teams make when they believe a change of scenery could unlock value, but for the Panthers it would still require a careful read on whether the upside is real or just a tempting roster-flier. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers May Have A Real Trade Answer For Their Biggest Defensive Problem
The Panthers defensive issues have been piling up for weeks, and the run defense has been at the center of it. Injuries in the secondary have only made life harder on a unit that has already struggled to get stops, and the decision to fire defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero underscored just how urgent the problem has become as the NFL trade deadline approaches.
Jaelan Sieler has emerged as a name worth watching if Carolina decides it needs help up front. The Dolphins defensive end would fit the kind of move the Panthers need most right now, adding another body with the potential to steady the front and take some pressure off a defense that has been stretched thin. Whether Carolina actually follows through is the question hanging over the next few days. [Read more 🡒]