Bryce Young 's return to the starting lineup in Week 8 wasn't a complete disaster for the Carolina Panthers . But it didn't result in a win nor a positive move up the landscape of the NFL.
Here's where the Panthers stand across the power rankings following their 28-14 loss to the Denver Broncos :
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 30 (-2)
Take: "They don't leave Charlotte again until Dec. 8, which would be nice … if they hadn't dropped nine of their past 11 games at Bank of America Stadium."
Author: Eric Edholm
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: "Bryce Young's first-quarter TD pass was a confident dart and one of Young's better throws as a Panther, and he later hit Jalen Coker for the receiver's first NFL touchdown. That was the good news from Sunday's loss to the Broncos. Now the bad: most everything else. Young threw two second-half interceptions deep in Denver territory, both coming with the Panthers able to make it a two-score game. He was shorthanded, playing without his top two receivers, Diontae Johnson and Adam Thielen , but Young also was the victim of a highly conservative game plan overall. Broncos head coach Sean Payton even got in a postgame dunk, saying, "It's not a good offense we played ... we're going to see a lot better teams," which felt a little extra . But it wasn't untrue. Carolina's harried defense had another rough day at the office, allowing 400-plus yards and 28 or more points for a fourth straight game. A long season just keeps getting longer."
Author: David Newton
Rank: 32 (-)
Take(on team's best offseason addition): "[Robert] Hunt and fellow G Damien Lewis were signed to upgrade the middle of the offensive line that gave up 35 sacks last season. That has worked out well for the Panthers. Carolina gave up 65 sacks as a team in 2023 but has allowed only 16 in 2024, tied for ninth in the NFL. Hunt has also been integral to an improved run game -- his 75.3% run block win rate ranks second among linemen."
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: "Bryce Young was back in as starter for the injured Andy Dalton , and it went about as well as you would expect other than one late-game drive in garbage time. This team is awful."
Author: Mike Florio
Rank: 32 (-)
Take: "They should bring back Cam Newton , and I'm not sure whether I'm kidding."
Author: Frank Schwab
Rank: 32 (-2)
Take: "Bryce Young's numbers weren't that bad (24-of-37, 224 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs). They didn't look that much better than before he was benched. But there's no reason to go back to Andy Dalton for a team that might not win more than two or three games this season."
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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Where do the Panthers stand in NFL power rankings heading into Week 9?
