NFL Power Rankings: Panthers Fall Back

Another Carolina Panthers loss leads to a consensus fall among NFL Power Rankings from around the sports world…

Any momentum gained from a season saving victory over New Orleans disappeared on Sunday afternoon. The Panthers rebounded in the game, showing a willingness to compete, but couldn’t upset the resilient Oakland Raiders. Fittingly, Carolina is falling in every NFL Power Rankings poll imaginable.

Facing another team commonly located in the top five of the NFL Power Rankings, the Seattle Seahawks will be another tough test for Carolina. Playing in Seattle is hard enough, but going up against a Seahawks team that recently had a let down against the Bucs after an extended road trip seems insurmountable. Not to mention the plethora of injuries and concussions that have befallen Carolina. Essentially playing for pride from this point forward, any positive movement up the NFL Power Rankings until the end of the season will be positive momentum for next season.

NFL.com – 25 (-1)

ESPN – 22 (-2)

Nov 27, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Carolina Panthers running back Jonathan Stewart (28) leaps over the Oakland Raiders defense for a touchdown during the second half at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

CBS – 24 (-1)

FOX SPORTS – 25 (-3)

Head coach Ron Rivera is 18-4 during the month of December with the Panthers. Any hope of moving back up in the NFL Power Rankings lies in him being able to protect that statistic. However, with four games against Seattle, San Diego, Washington, and Atlanta a 2-2 split with this team would be impressive.