NFL power rankings Week 10: Panthers rise after surprise win over the Saints

Carolina comes in three spots higher in Vinnie Iyer's NFL power rankings for this week at The Sporting News.

Tim Weaver | 14 Hours Ago

CHARLOTTE, NORTH CAROLINA - NOVEMBER 03: Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers reacts after a win over the New Orleans Saints at Bank of America Stadium on November 03, 2024 in Charlotte, North Carolina. / (Photo by Matt Kelley/Getty Images)

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Carolina Panthers

Great news! The Carolina Panthers discovered at least one NFL team that's worse than them right now. That would be the division rival New Orleans Saints, who lost to Carolina by a score of 23-22 on Sunday afternoon, their seventh-consecutive defeat since starting the season 2-0.

As expected, the Panthers have been given a decent boost in this week's power rankings from Vinnie Iyer at The Sporting News. After spending last week at the bottom of the order at number 32, Carolina is now up to 29, putting them ahead of New Orleans as well as Las Vegas and New England.

TSN on 29th-ranked Panthers

"The Panthers have needed to turn back to Bryce Young at QB, and he's showing some flashes in the offense with their young weapons. They might have a rather positive second half."

It is possible that the Panthers (or at least Bryce Young) have turned a corner these last couple of weeks. Despite getting let down by most of his wide receivers and having some atrociously conservative playcalling from head coach Dave Canales, Young managed to carry the Panthers to a victory. You need only look at the big, stupid grin on his face when his teammates swarmed him after the final whistle to see how much it meant to him.

Next up on the schedule is a trip to Munich, Germany to play the New York Giants, who have a hilariously-bad offense but also represent the third-straight tough defense that Young will have to face. If he can pull off a hat trick and take another step forward it could be a sign that he's finally breaking through and beginning to live up to his full potential. Let's just hope Canales and the Panthers stay out of his way.