The Carolina Panthers aren’t getting showered with praise after Week 6, but they did exactly what they needed to do: beat a Philadelphia Eagles team that’s “actively falling apart as we speak” and strengthen their hold on the NFC South lead.
That win nudged Carolina up across most of the latest NFL power rankings, with the team showing up anywhere from 10th to 15th depending on the outlet. USA Today put the Panthers at No. 10, up one spot, while NFL.com bumped them to No.
- ESPN moved Carolina to No. 15, also up three places, and Bleacher Report slotted them in at No. 11, up two.
Sports Illustrated was even more bullish, pushing the Panthers all the way to No. 13 after a seven-spot jump. The Athletic kept Carolina at No. 15, while Pro Football Talk had them at No. 15 as well, up three.
A lot of the attention is landing on Bryce Young, who keeps stacking up numbers that would have sounded impossible not long ago. USA Today’s Nate Davis called it “truly wild” that Young leads the NFL with 309.8 passing yards per game, the same quarterback who “never averaged better than 190 yards in any of his first three seasons.”
The broader picture around Young is getting harder to ignore. The Athletic pointed out that the Carolina quarterback entered fantasy drafts as an afterthought, with an average draft position of 176th, but now sits eighth among all players and fourth among quarterbacks in scoring at 22.1. He’s also sixth in the league in passing yards with 1,549, tied for seventh in touchdowns with 11, and has thrown just two interceptions.
NFL.com’s take leaned into how complete Carolina looked in the Week 6 win. That note highlighted Young’s continued surge, Jalen Coker’s return to the offense after missing time with an injury, Chuba Hubbard getting going, and the defense holding the Tanner McKee-led Eagles to 14 points. NFL.com called it “taking care of business” and said the Panthers look more consistent than they have under Dave Canales, with the feel of a playoff team that has been there before and plans to get back.
ESPN focused on the shape of the offense, describing Carolina as “organically throwing to run.” The Panthers are trying to find a more balanced attack early, but right now they’re leaning hard on the pass to get out to fast starts and put up points.
ESPN noted that Carolina is averaging a league-worst 26.2 rushing yards in the first half, then flipping the script after defenses wear down, with the offense averaging a second-best 82.6 rushing yards in the second half. The concern there is sustainability, even with Young piling up passing yards.
Sports Illustrated took a wider swing at the offensive design, praising Brad Idzik and putting him in the same conversation as young playcallers Declan Doyle and Grant Udinski. The outlet pointed to Idzik’s background charting tendencies for Dave Canales in Seattle and Tampa Bay as part of why the Panthers’ offense has become so unpredictable.
Bleacher Report went the furthest in declaring Carolina’s place in the division, calling the Panthers the best team in the NFC South a third of the way through the season. The outlet acknowledged that some won’t give Carolina much credit for beating a Philadelphia team without starting quarterback Jalen Hurts and star running back Saquan Barkley and with a reshuffled offensive line.
But it also noted the Panthers have been without their starting cornerbacks, Jaycee Horn and Mike Jackson, because of injuries. Bleacher Report said last year’s NFC South title wasn’t a fluke and called Young’s play the best football of his career, with 11 touchdown passes and two interceptions, labeling Carolina a legitimate playoff team.
Pro Football Talk kept its view short and pointed: “Two years after being benched, Bryce Young is earning a big contract.”
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For now, there is no indication Gardner is available or that the Panthers have made any real inquiries, so the biggest obstacle remains the most obvious one: making the finances and the trade cost work if the situation ever shifted. His injury status also matters in any evaluation, since Carolina would need a clear read on both availability and long-term value before even entertaining the idea. It leaves the Panthers in a familiar place for a team trying to climb, watching a premium player from afar and wondering whether the opportunity is real or just speculative noise. [Read more 🡒]
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Todd Bowles said the Bucs are preparing as if Daniels could start again, while still leaving the door open for Mayfield if he is healthy enough to go. For Carolina, that means the early part of the week is about reading the clues in Tampa Bays plan and getting ready for whichever version of the offense shows up when the NFC South rivals meet. [Read more 🡒]