NFC South Power Rankings heading into Week 4
By Ryan Heckman
Baker Mayfield and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on one the chin in Week 3 as they were beat pretty handedly by the Philadelphia Eagles, dropping their first game of the young season.
At 2-1, the Bucs should still be feeling fairly confident about a few things, but fans might wonder if their quick start over the first two weeks was too good to be true.
After losing to Philly, did Tampa Bay drop far in our latest NFC South power rankings? Let's dive in.
4. Carolina Panthers (0-3)
The Carolina Panthers make this the only real, easy decision for this week's power rankings. Losing once again and dropping to 0-3, the Panthers seem like they're headed for a difficult season ahead. But, that was likely expected by most.
Not every team with a rookie quarterback can come out and be competitive right away. Just look at C.J. Stroud's Texans at 1-2 as an example. The biggest difference, though, is the fact that Bryce Young has not yet looked as good as Stroud has in Houston.
Young has had growing pains, and that's fair. Their offense is also one that needs to add more established weapons, maybe adding a high profile name next year.
Carolina has one big thing going for them, so far, though, and that's their top-10 pass defense. That's something they can hang their hat on and build upon going forward. Next week, the Panthers take on a Minnesota Vikings team that has the league's top passing attack, so we'll see just how well they fare in that matchup of two 0-3 teams.