Panthers in the power rankings before Week 9 vs. New England

ANALYSIS: “Notching a six-point win over an offensively challenged Atlanta Falcons team does not fix all that ails the Carolina Panthers. But after dropping four games in a row after a 3-0 start, the Panthers will take a win any way they can get it.

It wasn’t a pretty performance; Sam Darnold threw for just 129 yards with a passer rating south of 69.6. But the Panthers held the Falcons to just 213 yards of offense and racked up 203 rushing yards on a whopping 47 attempts.

Not only did the win get the Panthers back on track and back to .500 for the season, but there is also reason for optimism that the team’s struggling offense will be getting a major boost ahead of next week’s home date with the New England Patriots. Per ESPN’s David Newton, running back Christian McCaffrey is expected to come off injured reserve this week, putting him on track to play for the first time since Week 3.

If Carolina is going to get back into the playoff picture in the NFC, the team needs its best offensive player on the field.”