Panthers Lose Ground in Two NFL Power Rankings Without Playing a Down

Sports admin October 13, 2026 0 Comments

Panthers Lose Ground in Two NFL Power Rankings Without Playing a Down

The Carolina Panthers didn’t play in Week 5, and they still came out of it in first place in the NFC South at 2-2. Bryce Young has the Panthers favored in the NFC South, too.

The bye didn’t do Carolina many favors in the rankings, though. Two outlets dropped the Panthers without a game to judge, one held them in place and one moved them up a spot. The gap between the highest and lowest ranking is nine spots, the widest of any team we’ve covered this week.

Sports Illustrated

This week’s ranking: 20

Last week’s ranking: 14

Conor Orr dropped Carolina six spots, the biggest move any of the four made. He didn’t explain the drop, either. His only note was a lighthearted clip of Young trying to keep a straight face when Eli Manning told him Peyton Manning threw 28 interceptions as a rookie.

Young had plenty of attention during the bye, including a College GameDay appearance as the NFL’s passing leader.

CBS Sports

This week’s ranking: 20

Last week’s ranking: 18

Pete Prisco slid Carolina two spots but sounded more optimistic than the number. He noted the Panthers come off the bye in first place, and he thinks Sunday’s trip to Philadelphia “isn’t as daunting as it looked a few weeks ago.”

He has a point. The Eagles fell to 2-3 after a last-second loss to Jacksonville in London that exposed Nick Sirianni’s game mismanagement, and they came home banged up.

ESPN

This week’s ranking: 18

Last week’s ranking: 18

ESPN’s panel left Carolina at No. 18, and Mike Kaye zeroed in on cornerback. With Jaycee Horn (quad) and Mike Jackson (groin) on injured reserve, rookie Will Lee III and special teams ace Akayleb Evans are set to start against the Eagles. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, Evans allowed 12 catches for 208 yards and a touchdown on 16 targets against Detroit in Week 4.

Kaye mentioned Chau Smith-Wade as an option, and the snap counts suggest Evans’ every-down role needs rethinking.

Fox Sports

This week’s ranking: 11

Last week’s ranking: 12

Ralph Vacchiano is the believer, moving Carolina up to No. 11 while it sat. He called this Young’s breakout season, pointing to 1,268 passing yards, nine touchdown passes and two interceptions through four games, though he thinks the MVP talk is premature.

He isn’t worried about the defense, either, since most of the damage came against Chicago and Detroit, two offenses that light up a lot of teams. Carolina’s defense has held up better since Week 2 than the yardage totals suggest.

Carolina visits Philadelphia on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET, and it might get Jalen Coker back for the trip.

More on the Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers Might Get an Offensive Piece Back for Week 6 vs. Eagles
Panthers’ Dave Canales Explains What Carolina Must Do to Win NFC South Again in 2026
A Cornerback to Replace Jaycee Horn, and Other Areas Panthers Could Look to Upgrade Ahead of Trade Deadline
Commanders’ Prime Trade Candidate Would Address Panthers’ Huge Hole in 2026

This story was originally published October 13, 2026 at 9:40 AM.