24. Carolina Panthers
I think it’s safe to say the Carolina Panthers were a bit overmatched on Sunday afternoon against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Heck, the Bucs even had a bit of help from a 12th player on the field when a duck snuck onto the grass in Tampa Bay and the Bucs promptly blocked a punt and returned it for a touchdown.
But the Panthers are obviously building something and you love to see some of the nice plays in this game from quarterback Bryce Young to Adam Thielen, who is looking like an ageless wonder out there when he’s been healthy this season.
The Panthers have a lot to hang their hats on this year. Hiring a new head coach in Dave Canales, you knew this was going to be a rebuilding/reloading year for the franchise, and they’ve discovered some cornerstone pieces and some gems on this roster.
Chuba Hubbard has emerged as a RB1 for the Panthers. Jacob Coker has been a great find. And most importantly, the development of Bryce Young after he was benched earlier in the season. Dave Canales deserves some credit for the way his team has played down the stretch, even if they are completely overmatched in a game like we saw on Sunday against the Buccaneers.
23. Dallas Cowboys
Just when I was starting to buy into the Dallas Cowboys with Cooper Rush at the helm a little bit, they go and completely lay an egg against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Not that you can really crush Dallas too much for this kind of performance against Philadelphia, but I mean, come on – the Eagles were down to their third QB, and the Cowboys simply couldn’t do anything to stop Saquon Barkley regardless of who was under center for Philly.
The Cowboys have plenty of major issues that will need to get addressed in the 2025 offseason. Most importantly, they need to figure out who is going to be this team’s head coach going forward. Any fans who had dreams of Bill Belichick coming in? Those dreams are dead.
What’s the best-case scenario for Dallas after a season like this? You obviously have to hope Dak Prescott can stay healthy, but this team was in a reloading year anyway and with the changes/losses defensively, they just couldn’t put it together for any meaningful stretch of time.
The Cowboys need to hit the reset button this offseason, but how dramatic is Jerry Jones going to be willing to be?