The Carolina Panthers halted a few ongoing trends in Week 8.
For one, they put a stop to the Atlanta Falcons’ two-game winning streak, as well as a pair of individual hot streaks by quarterback Matt Ryan and tight end Kyle Pitts. They also denied themselves a fifth straight loss after starting the season at 3-0.
And, in pertinence to this post, they hit the brakes on what would have been an even deeper slide across this week’s power rankings with their 19-13 win. So, let’s see where they wound up.
USA TODAY
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 25 (+2)
Author’s take: “They currently find themselves in the NFC playoff field even though Carolina hasn’t put together a good performance since September. Maybe new CB Stephon Gilmore can change that Sunday if he can provide sufficient dirt on the incoming Patriots.”
Touchdown Wire
Author: Nick Wojton
Rank: 19 (+2)
Author’s take: “The early-season Panthers defense returned against the Falcons and their new addition shined as CB Stephon Gilmore had an interception to clinch it. The problem was the Panthers offense stalling. Carolina rushed for 203 yards but settled for four field goals. Now QB Sam Darnold is in the concussion protocol as well after taking a big hit.”
NFL.com
Author: Dan Hanzus
Rank: 21 (+4)
Author’s take: “The status of Christian McCaffrey is cloudy and perplexing, even if you’re not a CMC fantasy owner. Matt Rhule told reporters on Monday that the star running back — sidelined since September with a hamstring injury — is scheduled to return to practice this week with the hope that he can play in Week 9 or 10. This is the same hamstring injury that didn’t even warrant an immediate trip to injured reserve when McCaffrey was initially hurt back in Week 3, so doubts about the team’s ability to properly monitor the situation are fair. The Panthers need McCaffrey to make a playoff run, but they also know one more setback could wipe out a second straight year of the 25-year-old’s prime. You can feel the tension of the situation from outer space.”
ESPN
Author: David Newton
Rank: 20 (+4)
Author’s take: “The offensive line proved it could run block, paving the way for Carolina to rush for a season-high 203 yards on 47 attempts in Sunday’s win at Atlanta. That kept the Falcons from loading up against the pass as teams did the past four weeks, collecting 15 sacks against Sam Darnold during that span. But teams will load the box and force the Panthers to pass, and the line remains vulnerable.”
Our final take:
Our final take is . . . finally!
Finally, the Panthers won. Finally, the Panthers figured at least something out on offense. And finally, the Panthers played a pretty clean game throughout the afternoon.
Week 8’s victory, along with the return of linebacker Shaq Thompson and team debut of cornerback Stephon Gilmore, has seemingly added a little bit of life back into the team. Now, imagine what a return of star running back Christian McCaffrey could do.
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