NFL Power Rankings, Week 12: Eagles fall to Saints in embarrassing fashion

10. Carolina Panthers

One week after they were embarrassed by the Pittsburgh Steelers in front of a national audience, the Carolina Panthers were hoping to bounce back with a statement win over the Detroit Lions in Week 11 to prove to doubters they did in fact have what it takes to be a playoff contender. Instead, the Panthers appear to have a few questions still in need of answering after coming up short against the Lions to drop their record to 6-4 on the season.

While Ron Rivera would have obviously received heavy praise if Carolina converted that two-point conversion at the end of the game to win, this was a terrible decision overall for Carolina when given the circumstances. Whether they felt confident over their chances of winning in overtime or not, every football fan knows the smart decision by the Panthers was to kick the extra point to avoid coming up short like the offense did.

Not even a solid outing by DJ Moore seven catches for 157 yards with a touchdown can make Carolina feel better about what took place during this tough loss in Detroit. When looking ahead at their remaining schedule, this was an outcome the Panthers couldn’t afford to see take place.