Sunday’s Week 3 outing against the New Orleans Saints not only brought the Carolina Panthers their first win of the 2022 season, but it also brought a ton of relief—for fans, for head coach Matt Rhule and for the organization itself.
But did it bring some relief in their standings across the league’s power rankings?
Touchdown Wire
Author: Mark Lane
Rank: 28 (+3)
Take: “Christian McCaffrey was back to being a dominant part of the Panthers’ offense with 25 carries for 108 yards. Laviska Shenault had a big game with two catches for 90 yards and a touchdown. The NFC South may be a one-team division, but at least there is a dogfight among the other three to stay out of the cellar.”
USA TODAY
Author: Nate Davis
Rank: 23 (+5)
Take: “Nice to snap a league-high, nine-game losing streak dating to 2021. Next up, an Arizona squad which Carolina has beaten six times in a row.”
NFL.com
Author: Dan Hanzus
Rank: 29 (+2)
Take: “The Panthers continue to get little from Baker Mayfield and the offense. Luckily, the defense was ready to step up against the Saints. Marquis Haynes set the tone with a scoop-and-score fumble recovery TD in the first quarter, and two second-half interceptions of Jameis Winston helped to seal a much-needed 22-14 win that snapped a nine-game losing streak dating back to last season. Afterward, Panthers players presented coach Matt Rhule with the game ball. ‘I want the game to always be about the players,’ Rhule said. ‘With that being said, it was a tremendous honor. But at the end of the day, it’s not about me. I want them to make me right.'”
ESPN
Author: David Newton
Rank: 29 (+1)
Take: “Baker Mayfield has been subpar. That’s putting it kindly because he is putting up career-worst numbers. He ranks 32nd in the league in Total QBR (19.5), 31st in completion percentage (51.8), 28th in passing yards (550), 25th in touchdown passes (3, including a 67-yarder caught behind the line of scrimmage) and 25th in passer rating (80.8). And this doesn’t take into account five fumbles (all recovered) and almost a dozen passes batted down at the line of scrimmage.”
CBS Sports
Author: Pete Prisco
Rank: 29 (+2)
Take: “The defense won the game against the Saints last week, but the offense needs to do more. At least Matt Rhule is in the win column to stave off the talk of him being fired — for now.”
Pro Football Talk
Author: Mike Florio
Rank: 25 (+6)
Take: “Matt Rhule’s termination has been temporarily delayed.”
