NFL Power Rankings, Week 17: Saints clinch top seed, Ravens take over AFC North
By Dan Parzych
23. Carolina Panthers (22)
Make that seven losses in a row for the Carolina Panthers after falling to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, although it’s tough to have high expectations when Cam Newton has already been shut down for the season. On a positive note, at least fantasy football owners with Christian McCaffrey on their roster most likely ended up winning their league championship when seeing how the Panthers star had another strong outing on offense.
Back in October, Carolina appeared to be at least a lock for a Wild Card spot in the NFC following an impressive 6-2 start before it all fell apart during the final two months. Time after time, the Panthers just continued to find new ways to come up short when it mattered the most towards the end of games, which has resulted in Ron Rivera finding himself on the hot seat in recent weeks.
A team like Carolina following that impressive start shouldn’t have been in this position heading into the final week of the regular season, and now the question becomes what the team will end up deciding on with Rivera. As much as the Panthers want to give him another chance to turn things around in 2019, this still doesn’t take away from what seems like a season that turned into a complete waste.