12. New York Giants (1-1)
After an impressive debut against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 1, the Giants went into a Monday night matchup against the Los Angeles Rams with understandably high hopes.
The source of those high hopes is mostly due to the progression of quarterback Jaxson Dart, who suffered a knee injury on the first drive of the game against the Rams. With Jameis Winston finishing out the game in place of the injured Dart, the Giants got absolutely smacked around.
The only silver lining is that it wasn't an injury as a result of Dart being reckless with the way he plays the game, which was somewhat of an issue last year. But that isn't going to ease anyone's concern or soften the blow. The bottom line is that this injury for Dart is devastating, and a season-ruiner for a fan base that has been justifiably giddy over his development.
These types of things happen, so if the Giants have their eyes set on getting back to the playoffs this season (which now feels extremely far-fetched), they are going to need Jameis Winston to prove why he was worthy of a new contract this year.
11. Carolina Panthers (1-1)
After the first week of the season, the Carolina Panthers' defense giving up 59 points to the Chicago Bears dramatically overshadowed the performance of Bryce Young and the offense. And Young's progression this season (albeit in just a two-game sample) has been impressive, to say the least.
The Panthers had themselves a get-right game defensively in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons, bouncing back to the point defensively that they got Cooper Rush pulled from the game in favor of undrafted QB Jack Strand.
And Bryce Young continued to play well.
That is the biggest development so far this season for the Panthers. If Young can continue to progress, this Panthers team will be a problem. They cannot have lapses defensively like we saw against Chicago in Week 1, but you never know when a horrendous performance like that defensively is going to wake up a sleeping giant.
They go on the road this week to face off against the Cleveland Browns.
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