NFL Power Rankings: Panthers defense prevents even a mediocre placement

With training camp nearly here, the Carolina Panthers are more than likely what they're going to be this season. The roster is by and large set, as there will be cuts but probably no more additions until the regular season. Of course, that makes it a good time for a set of power rankings.

Unfortunately, the good finish and the offseason work do not yet translate to a good ranking. Bleacher Report's Gary Davenport ranked them 27th, which is a saddening location for a team with such promise in 2025.

The chief reason for this? The Panthers' defense. The offense, Davenport argues, could be good. The defense won't be. "If Young takes a step forward in his third season, the Panthers could be sneaky-good offensively—first-round rookie Tetairoa McMillan adds some badly-needed juice to the pass-catchers, and Chuba Hubbard is one of the league’s more underrated running backs," he added.

However, the Panthers were the only team in the league last year that surrendered more than 400 yards per game last year, and the Carolina defense doesn’t appear markedly better in 2025," the analyst admitted. "The Panthers may score some points this season, but they are going to give up more than a few points as well."

That was the problem in 2024, too. When the Panthers won, it was generally because of a breakout offensive performance. Two wins in the last few weeks required 36 and 44 points and overtime periods. That's a lot of points just to give up almost as many, which could be a recurring theme in 2025.

For now, it's hard to meaningfully plot the Panthers' defense. We know the offense, which is the same with two good additions, performed really well at the end of the year and should continue that in 2025. The defense is full of unknowns, and the baseline is so low that it's hard to predict a better season.