CHARLOTTE - Follow five media outlets throughout the season as their writers update their NFL power rankings, presented by Daimler Trucks North America.
ANALYSIS: "The Sam Darnold era in Carolina reached its nadir on Sunday against the Patriots. The struggling quarterback appeared skittish and tentative in Joe Brady's offense, throwing three interceptions -- including a crushing pick-six -- in Darnold's latest nightmare performance against Bill Belichick."
ANALYSIS: "Bold second-half prediction: QB Sam Darnold will get benched
This doesn't feel as much like a prediction as it does an inevitability based on Darnold throwing 10 interceptions in the last six games, five resulting in losses. It's not just the mistakes. It's the lack of overall productivity by the offense that has one touchdown in the past three games."
ANALYSIS: "The offense is terrible with Sam Darnold. They might need to make a change. He can't get anything going."
ANALYSIS: "Each week, an unpleasant reality is becoming harder to ignore in Carolina.
Sam Darnold is not the long-term answer for the Panthers.
On a day when the Panthers got back running back Christian McCaffrey, the Carolina offense spent most of their loss to the New England Patriots with the offense stuck in neutral. Darnold was mostly terrible: 16 completions in 33 attempts for 172 yards and three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown."
ANALYSIS: "After a white-hot start, the Panthers have found themselves back in a more realistic place. Sam Darnold was not the reclamation project the Panthers had hoped. Their defense, while on a breakneck pace at the beginning of the season, is starting to regress to the mean despite some savvy upgrades."
View all of the best photos from pre-game, in-game and post-game from Carolina's game against New England.
