NFL analyst puts Panthers back where they belong in post-Week 1 power rankings

After months of hype and hope, the Carolina Panthers proved they are still the worst team in the NFL by a good margin yesterday.

Tim Weaver | Sep 9, 2024

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - SEPTEMBER 08: Bryce Young #9 and head coach Dave Canales of the Carolina Panthers look on during the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome on September 08, 2024 in New Orleans, Louisiana. / (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images)

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Carolina Panthers

All offseason we heard good things about how Bryce Young had developed as a quarterback. How head coach Dave Canales had inspired some long-missing hope around the building. How this year the Carolina Panthers were finally going to prove that they're headed in the right direction. Once the 2024 season started, it took about three minutes to realize that none of that is true about this team, and if anything they're even worse than the atrocious 2-15 team from last year.

While there's still a lot of football left to play, it's clear that our best-case scenario predictions for this season (seven wins, Most Improved Player for Young and Coach of the Year for Canales) were not only unrealistic, but bordering on delusional. This is obviously still the worst team in the league right now, and as such they belong at the very bottom of everybody's weekly power rankings.

That's exactly where they are in the post-Week 1 rankings from Vinnie Iyer at The Sporting News. Here's what he said about Carolina.

The Sporting News on the terrible 2024 Carolina Panthers

"The Panthers' atrocious defense proved early that it will be a difficult liability for the offense to overcome the way they would like under Dave Canales. A one-dimensional trailing attack will keep failing like it did in New Orleans."

The defensive collapse was perhaps the most-disappointing element of Sunday's loss. Last year the unit did admirable work in a bad situation under first-year coordinator Ejiro Evero. The unit we saw yesterday was neither underrated nor feisty. It was dominated from top to bottom.

When one or two or three players have a bad game for a specific unit, that's on them. When the entire unit fails miserably, that's on the coaching staff. At this rate, Canales and his coordinators won't last until November.