16. Carolina Panthers
They don’t all have to be pretty in the NFL, but I’m not sure Carolina Panthers fans will agree about the win against the Jets on Sunday being an “ugly” one. For this fan base, it doesn’t matter if you’re going against Justin Fields or Tyrod Taylor, you want to see that defense play the way it did on Sunday.
Situationally, making clutch stops, sealing a win. It was all there for the Panthers’ defense in this one, and that unit has obviously been a major problem area for the team in the past. Ejiro Evero might have that unit turning things around after the past few weeks, and the Panthers did something else important in Week 7: They got their first win of the season on the road.
Carolina is creeping up a little bit right now. Bryce Young was knocked out of the game against the Jets, so that will be something to monitor going forward, but this team is quietly now 4-3 and making some noise in the loaded NFC.
15. Los Angeles Chargers
Injuries are brutal, and they have taken their toll already this year on the Los Angeles Chargers.
This is a team that started the season 3-0 with three straight wins against their division rivals. I don’t know that we’ve even actually seen that before in the NFL. The Chargers were looking like a legitimate Super Bowl contender, but they’ve now lost three of their last four games, and have given way to both the Broncos and Chiefs in the AFC West.
And by given way, I mean the Chargers are no longer in first place.
The loss to the Colts on Sunday was a wake-up call for the Chargers, who gave up 38 points and were just out-muscled in every possible way by Shane Steichen’s crew. The Chargers are one of the biggest “fallers” of this week’s action.