NFL power rankings: Panthers ride Andy Dalton to massive rise after Week 3 win

Carolina Panthers jump five spots in the latest power rankings from Vinnie Iyer at The Sporting News.

Tim Weaver | 2 Hours Ago

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 22: Diontae Johnson #5 of the Carolina Panthers catches a pass for a touchdown in front of Tre'von Moehrig #7 of the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium on September 22, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. / (Photo by Steve Marcus/Getty Images)

In this story:

Carolina Panthers

The Carolina Panthers didn't look like the absolute-worst team in the NFL going into the 2024 season. At the very least, we believed they deserved to be ranked a head of a few bottom-feeders in the AFC, and arguably a few more in the NFC. Bryce Young quickly dashed those hopes, raising the specter of a potential 0-17 season for Carolina.

However, last week's dramatic move at quarterback to sit Young and sub in long-time veteran Andy Dalton proved to be a masterstroke, proving they were capable of much more than we saw in Weeks 1-2. Dalton came through with the most-productive game of any quarterback so far this season, posting 313 yards and three touchdowns in a convincing win for the Panthers.

As expected, they've taken a big jump in the most recent power rankings. Vinnie Iyer at The Sporting News now has them ranked 27th, up from number 32 last week.

Vinnie Iyer on the 1-2 Panthers

"The Panthers made the QB change to Andy Dalton and got immediate downfield passing results, unlocking their upgraded receiving corps. They also rolled to sudden rushing success. It's a sign the team just was ready to respond to someone other than Bryce Young, sadly."

Sad but also true. It won't exactly help Young's already-diminished trade value, either.

Then again, the Panthers should just be happy right now to have gotten a high level of quarterback play for the first time in several seasons, even if it came against a pretty hapless Las Vegas Raiders team with their Kryptonite QB starting for them.

They aced the first test with Dalton leading them, but let's see what they do next week against Joe Burrow and the Cincinnati Bengals before making any definitive statements about Dalton's future with this team going forward.