Panthers jump up 3 more spots in USA TODAY power rankings

Perhaps the Carolina Panthers, now at 3-0, should’ve at least cracked the top-10, right? Well, we’ll take what we can get.

After a nine-spot jump in last week’s installment, the Panthers shimmied up a bit more to the No. 11 position in the latest USA TODAY power rankings. Reporter Nate Davis notes that this’ll be a crucial time for Carolina to hold on and stay above water with star Christian McCaffrey set to miss some time.

“Reminder that the wife of Panthers coach Matt Rhule urged him to draft RB Chuba Hubbard when he dropped to the fourth round of this year’s draft. (Julie Rhule was well aware of Hubbard’s ability after watching him play against her husband’s Baylor squad in 2019.) With Carolina RB Christian McCaffrey out for an indefinite period, Julie Rhule’s advice now seems especially sage.”

Hopefully for the team and Julie, Hubbard will provide a decent enough presence to help fill the enormous void to be left by McCaffrey’s hamstring strain. The rookie got off to a nice start this past Thursday in Houston, totaling 79 yards from scrimmage on 14 touches.

He, quarterback Sam Darnold and the dominant defense (who will be without their own stud in rookie cornerback Jaycee Horn), are preparing to roll back into Texas to face the 2-1 Dallas Cowboys in Week 4.