NFL Power Rankings, Week 16: Cowboys find their grove, 49ers stunned by Falcons
By Dan Parzych
27. Carolina Panthers (25)
Remember back in the first half of the regular season when the Carolina Panthers managed to overcome losing their first two games before going on to win four in a row while looking like a top contender in the process?
As a result of this success, Kyle Allen was earning consideration for being the quarterback of the future, but if this is going to turn out to be the case, the Panthers youngster has plenty to prove.
Carolina has already been feeling all sorts of criticism since making the surprise decision to fire Ron Rivera two weeks ago, but Sunday’s 30-24 loss to the Seattle Seahawks was just another example of the frustrations from this season.
Not even a stellar day from Christian McCaffrey (87 rushing yards with two touchdowns) was good enough to make Panthers fans feel better about their beloved team, and it’s certainly going to be interesting to see what kind of changes take place in the offseason.
Dating back to last season, Carolina has looked like a playoff contender on paper, but unfortunately it’s been a struggle to live up to the hype.
At least while the Panthers try to figure out their quarterback position, McCaffrey’s presence will always give the offense somewhat of an advantage against opponents down the road.