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Where Do Carolina Panthers Land in NFL Power Rankings After Week 8?
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- Where Do Carolina Panthers Land in NFL Power Rankings After Week 8?
(Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images)
The Carolina Panthers fell to the Green Bay Packers this past week, seeing their record drop to 3-4 on the year.
After a promising start to the season, the Carolina offense has sputtered over the last few weeks, limiting what the team can do on the field. But due to a weaker NFC South division this year, the Panthers remain in first place, despite the losses in recent weeks.
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Quarterback Bryce Young has struggled over his last two games, with his early-season MVP buzz going silent. Young had looked like he had taken another step forward in his overall development, but his play has regressed in the last few weeks .
For the year, Young has thrown for 1,921 yards with 13 touchdowns and five interceptions, showing his worth. But this team will need more from him going forward if the Panthers want to get back into the playoffs.
Carolina's offense has been in a funk of late, and this group is going to have to get back to how they were early in the year. The Panthers passing attack was a top unit in football at one point, and this was the identity of the group.
In the new edition of NFL Power Rankings from Bleacher Report , the Panthers didn't move at all, despite the loss to Green Bay. Carolina came into the week ranked as the No. 18 team, and they remain at No. 18 heading into Week 9.
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As the Panthers move forward, the season feels like it could be slipping away from them a little bit. Not only has Carolina started to drop games, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers have gotten healthier as the weeks have hone by.
Tampa Bay blew out the Panthers two weeks ago, grabbing a massive head-to-head tiebreaker over Carolina. With the Buccaneers playing better, the Panthers can't afford to keep dropping games, and this team will need to stack some wins.
The Panthers will be welcoming in the Denver Broncos to town this weekend, giving this group a tough test to overcome. Denver has one of the better defenses in the NFL, and the offense for Carolina will need to wake up to get the win.
Falling to 3-5 on the season would be very tough to come back from for this team, even in the weaker NFC South. Kickoff between the Panthers and Broncos is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. PT/1:00 p.m. ET at Bank of America Stadium.
