18. Carolina Panthers (3-4)
The Carolina Panthers are trending in the wrong direction in our NFL power rankings. Now losers of two ugly games in a row right after two good wins in a row, the Panthers again feel like the same team they have been for years now. The Panthers are just mediocre across the board, and while they are banged up, most every other team is.
Carolina did have a great chance this year to finally break things open a bit, and that two-game winning streak earlier in the season did seem to provide some hope that a corner was going to be turned.
They fired defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero this week, which was the right move given how bad the defense has been under his watch, but there could be more foundational issues wrong with this team at the moment.
17. Houston Texans (2-5)
Houston was on the bye in Week 8
One of the more disappointing teams in the NFL this year, the 2-5 Houston Texans were on the bye in Week 8 and have seen this defense regress big-time, and it’s really a shame, as quarterback CJ Stroud has been awesome this year despite a shaky run game and shaky offensive line.
Based on how Stroud has played, you would have thought the Texans would be 5-2 at this point. The issue on defense isn’t talent, though, so it’s not clear why the unit has looked this bad this year.
And with how many other competent teams are present in the AFC, unless the Texans begin stringing some wins together now, this team won’t make the playoffs for the first time in the Stroud era.
16. Cleveland Browns (5-3)
Still 5-3 even with the loss, the Cleveland Browns did probably confirm what a lot of people were thinking about the team - it’s a fun story, but the Browns aren’t for real. The Browns are still hanging around in the AFC, but the team is flawed and is at least a year away.
Deshaun Watson has by no means been bad this year, but he’s probably been rather average overall. Cleveland could probably justify bringing him back for another season, but through eight games this year, the team should probably seriously consider looking elsewhere for their QB of the future.
The Browns are in better shape than a lot of teams across the league, and we have seen a ton of sloppy football just this week alone. What will be interesting to see is how they respond to this type of loss. Both of the team’s losses coming into this week were followed up by win streaks of three and two games, so Todd Monken could have the secret sauce for this team after a loss.
They play New Orleans in Week 9, so that could be a game to ‘get right’ after a stinker in Week 8.
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