2021 NFL Power Rankings, Week 4: Rams claim top spot, Steelers and Bears plummet

INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA - SEPTEMBER 26: Head coach Sean McVay of the Los Angeles Rams celebrates a third quarter touchdown throw by Matthew Stafford #9 in the game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at SoFi Stadium on September 26, 2021 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /

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Carolina Panthers. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports /

Carolina Panthers. 8. team. 87. . . Previous: 11th

As expected, the Carolina Panthers went on the road for Thursday Night Football to Houston and pretty easily took care of business. Sam Darnold continues to look rejuvenated now that he’s free of the curse of Adam Gase as he threw for 304 yards with no turnovers.

However, the star for Matt Rhule’s team continues to be the defense. Brian Burns and Haason Reddick are arguably the best edge rushing duo in the NFL that no one seems to be talking about while the secondary has played well and Shaq Thompson looks like a superstar at linebacker.

Sadly, the story coming off their 3-0 start now is the injuries they suffered against the Texans as star running back Christian McCaffrey left with a hamstring injury that will sideline him for multiple weeks while rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn broke multiple bones in his foot and will miss a substantial amount of time.

Carolina obviously weathered those injuries against the Texans but, as the level of competition is set to ramp up in the coming weeks, it’ll be interesting to see how the Panthers deal with those losses.

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