For a Panthers team that has spent much of Dave Canales’ run in Carolina searching for direction, Nick Shook’s latest read feels like a different kind of conversation entirely.
In NFL.com’s newest power rankings, Shook placed Carolina at No. 13, but the ranking was almost secondary to what he said about the team itself. He described the Panthers as more consistent than they have been under Canales, called them a playoff team, and said he is very optimistic about their chances of winning the NFC South.
That kind of talk has not been common around these parts, but the results are starting to back it up. Carolina is 3-2 and has won three of its last four, with Bryce Young playing the best football of his career. Chuba Hubbard added 120 rushing yards in Philadelphia, and the Panthers finally had Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan healthy and on the field at the same time.
The defense has been pulling its weight, too. In Sunday’s 25-14 win over the Eagles, Carolina held Philadelphia to 222 total yards and made it back-to-back games allowing fewer than 50 rushing yards. The rough edges are still there, but this is a team showing it can do more than one thing well at once.
That matters because it has not always looked this balanced under Canales. At times, the offense has flashed while the defense couldn’t get off the field.
Other times, the defense kept Carolina hanging around while the offense stalled out. This version feels more complete.
Still, that does not mean everything is suddenly tidy. I gave Canales a B for the win in Philadelphia, and that still feels about right. The Panthers were penalized 13 times for a franchise-record 149 yards, and the decision to let the clock run out at the end of the first half with three timeouts is one I still do not understand.
There is a difference, though, between questioning some of Canales’ game-day choices and questioning whether the Panthers are actually improving under him. On the second point, it is getting harder to be skeptical.
Carolina has had promising stretches before, only to follow them with a performance that looked nothing like the week before. That is why I am still not ready to go all the way where Shook went and label the Panthers a playoff team after five games.
But Sunday in Philadelphia moved the needle. The Panthers made a mess of plenty of things and still found a way to win. They absorbed 149 penalty yards, got the run game going when it mattered, and finished the job instead of handing Philadelphia another opening.
Now Tampa Bay comes to Charlotte on Sunday with first place in the NFC South on the line. If Carolina gets to 4-2, people may have to start viewing this team through a very different lens.
That is what makes Shook’s comments worth a closer look. Calling the Panthers consistent and talking about them like a playoff team would have sounded outlandish not long ago.
In Other News...
Panthers Catch A Break As Buccaneers Face A New Offensive Problem
Baker Mayfield is expected back for a crucial Week 7 game against the Panthers, which at least gives Tampa Bay a familiar face under center as the NFC South race tightens. But the Buccaneers will have to adjust around a different kind of problem, with rookie receiver Emeka Egbuka ruled out because of a concussion and knee injury.
For Carolina, that changes the shape of a matchup already carrying plenty of weight. Tampa Bay still has options on offense, but losing Egbuka removes one of the pieces that has helped stretch defenses, and the Panthers will go into the game knowing the Buccaneers are facing a new wrinkle as they try to sort out their attack. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Trade Deadline Pressure Is Suddenly Building In One Spot
The cornerback room has become the clearest pressure point for Carolina as the trade deadline approaches, with injuries to starters Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson forcing the Panthers to lean on rookie Will Lee III and special teams contributor Akayleb Evans. NFL.coms Gennaro Filice pointed to that spot as the teams biggest need, and it is not hard to see why. The early returns have been uneven, and the Panthers are trying to keep pace in a season where every shaky spot on the roster gets magnified.
For a team with postseason hopes, the concern is less about surviving one game than about whether the current mix can hold up against the better passing attacks still left on the schedule. Carolina has enough incentive to keep looking for help, and cornerback is the one place where a midseason addition could change the feel of the defense almost immediately. The question now is whether the Panthers can find the right piece in time to stabilize a position that has suddenly gone from manageable to urgent. [Read more 🡒]
Panthers Suddenly Face A Trade Deadline Decision On Defense
With Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson both dealing with injuries, the Panthers have suddenly found themselves weighing whether to add cornerback help before the trade deadline. It is the kind of defensive wrinkle that can change the temperature of a season quickly, especially for a team trying to keep its secondary intact while staying flexible enough to handle what comes next.
One name being floated is Alontae Taylor, giving Carolina a possible fit if it decides to look beyond internal options. The problem is the same one that shadows so many deadline ideas: salary cap realities. Nothing has been confirmed, but the Panthers do appear to be staring at a decision point that could shape the back end of their defense. [Read more 🡒]