12. Carolina Panthers, 2-2
The Carolina Panthers have been a fun team thus far, but it's also important to remember that they're just 2-2 on the season and don't have the greatest defense in the world. QB Bryce Young has played his tail off and would receive some MVP votes if the season ended today, but there is more to an NFL roster than just the QB.
The Panthers are just 10-10 in Young's starts dating back to the start of 2025, so this team is still mediocre. Even in the wide open NFC South, it's not a slam-dunk that the Panthers will come out on top, as the Atlanta Falcons suddenly look encouraging.
Still, though, the Panthers have to be feeling good about the way Young has played, and the situation the team is in right now is much better than the alternative - having a struggling QB but a defense playing lights-out.
11. New England Patriots, 3-2
The New England Patriots have seen QB Drake Maye really begin to turn things around this year, but he still has more 'bad' play this season than good play, so we aren't going to overreact here. New England did win 14 games last year and made a run to the Super Bowl, but it's clear that this team did benefit from an insanely easy schedule.
Maye will surely need to keep stacking some not awful performances together to make us truly believe again, but he is a good QB and did finish second in the MVP voting last year. The other thing I'll note here is that the Patriots are already pretty banged up, and with it still being early in the season, it doesn't necessarily paint a great picture health-wise for later in the season.
The Patriots land at No. 11 in our playoff team power rankings.
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