28. Tennessee Titans
The volatility of Will Levis continued in Week 15 as the Titans got out to a 14-7 lead against the Cincinnati Bengals, and then the craziness ensued.
Levis threw another pick-six and the Bengals ended up getting the second-year player benched with Mason Rudolph taking his place. I think it’s probably safe to say at this point that the Tennessee Titans are going to be going a different direction at the quarterback position this offseason and general manager Ran Carthon has a bit of a difficult job.
He’s set himself up for a weird scenario having gone after some prominent veterans in 2024 NFL free agency like running back Tony Pollard and wide receiver Calvin Ridley. Not to mention the trade and extension for cornerback L’Jarius Sneed.
The Titans operated this past offseason as though they had the QB position settled, but that obviously wasn’t the case. It was worth the shot with Will Levis but they are probably going to be going back to the drawing board and looking to make a big splash.
27. Carolina Panthers
I dove headfirst into the hype with the Carolina Panthers this past week, calling them one of the top three teams “guaranteed” to win in Week 15. You’ve got to own up to your bad takes in this industry.
The Panthers were straight-up smacked around by the Dallas Cowboys, and couldn’t cash in on being favorites (albeit only 2.5 points at home) for the first time in two years.
Still, I’m buying some stock in Bryce Young and this Panthers team under Dave Canales. They’ve done some nice things lately and Young has rebounded nicely since being benched earlier this year. Even with the Panthers struggling against Dallas on Sunday, this is a young roster with intriguing pieces that will be fun to follow in 2025. The NFC South looks like a very wide open division beyond this season and Carolina could be just a couple of key pieces away.
Get this team a stud off the edge and maybe another playmaker in the secondary, and they might be able to go from worst to first next season.