NFL power rankings Week 6: Panthers drop back down to near the bottom of the pile

The Carolina Panthers are back among the dregs of the NFL after a bad loss on the road to the Chicago Bears.

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - OCTOBER 06: Caleb Williams #18 of the Chicago Bears avoids a tackle from Nick Scott #21 of the Carolina Panthers during the second quarter at Soldier Field on October 06, 2024 in Chicago, Illinois. / (Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)

The 2024 Carolina Panthers have their moments, to be sure. When they commit to running the ball they're about as good at it as any team in the NFL this season. They have also had some success with Andy Dalton starting against bad defensive units. However, overall the picture is about as messy as it has ever been - at least if you don't count last year's 2-15 finish.

Heading into Week 6, these Panthers are back where they belong in the latest league-wide power rankings around the web. Peter Dewey at Sports Illustrated has all 32 teams ranked by their odds to win the Super Bowl, and Carolina came in at 31st on his list. Only the New England Patriots have worse odds right now.

Panthers 31st in Week 6 power rankings

"So, the Andy Dalton experiment appears to be running its course. When do the Panthers just go back to Bryce Young and hope he can work through his struggles on a flawed roster?"

The answer to that question for now seems to be no. Asked yesterday what his plans were for next week at quarterback, head coach Dave Canales told reporters that it would be Andy Dalton again.

Nevertheless, at some point the Panthers should put Bryce Young back out on the field, and not just for a single drive in garbage time as was the case yesterday. Young made at least one eye-popping completion under pressure and on the run, but the only way he's really going to improve is by building his confidence with good reps in live games.

Dalton definitely gives Carolina a better chance to win right now, but there's not much point when this team won't be in the playoffs and Dalton won't be their quarterback of the future, no matter how he plays for the rest of 2024. Canales can do his team a service by sucking it up and giving Young as much playing time as possible to determine if the Panthers can start him next season, or if they should use their first 2025 draft pick on another quarterback.

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