A better mood doesn’t win games, but it doesn’t hurt either. The Carolina Panthers are a good example of this as they managed a major turnaround in the second half of their 2024 season. On Sunday they beat the Arizona Cardinals at home in overtime, bringing their win total this year to four, which isn’t great, but it’s also twice as good as last year.

If you need further evidence of the Panthers’ rise, just look at how Bryce Young recovered from his first poor game since Week 2 before being subbed. After turning the ball over four times against the Dallas Cowboys, Young played flawless football for more than four quarters against Arizona, giving them three big hits on the head with two passing touchdowns and another with his legs.

Thanks to their latest win, the Panthers have taken another jump in Vinnie Iyer’s latest power rankings at The Sporting News. He has them at 24, up two spots from last week.

“The Panthers should officially be excited about the future with Bryce Young. He’s a real playmaker again under QB whisperer Dave Canales.”

Bryce Young is awesome, but this team is still largely powered by running back Chuba Hubbard and one of the best run-blocking offensive lines in the league. Hubbard was successful again this week, rushing for 152 yards and two touchdowns on 25 carries (6.1 yards per attempt), including the walkoff game-winner in overtime. As long as Young, Hubbard and the offensive line core remain intact, this will be a respectable offense, and it could develop into something even better if they can get Young better pass-catching weapons.

There is still a lot of work to be done on defense, as the Panthers are still pretty hopeless against the run. However, their pass rush has improved dramatically since the start of the season. Yesterday they got Kyler Murray for three sacks. DJ Wonnum and Jadeveon Clowney will get most of the attention, but you shouldn’t forget A’Shawn Robinson, who has come on strong in recent weeks. With another edge rusher and another interior pass rush threat in the mix and a healthy Derrick Brown, this defense could be much, much better overall next season.

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