Ralph VacchianoOct 6, 2026
In FOX Sports' rankings they placed the Panthers 12th, up from 16th, and expects them to separate themselves in a weak division.
Published in writing · Sports IllustratedRead the original
What Ralph Vacchiano said
In the worst division in football, they should start to pull away from the pack very soon.
- Where it was published
- Sports Illustrated
- The piece
- Panthers Surge to Unforeseen Heights in NFL Power Rankings After Thriller
- The original
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How the call scored
One checkable claim, graded on its own against what actually happened.
Nothing to score yet: this grades once the result is in.
The call is scored 0 to 100 against what happened, on its own, by the published methodology. The naive guess is what knowing nothing would have scored on the same call; the gap, weighted by how hard the call was, is the skill.
“Ralph Vacchiano moved them from 16th to 12th after the inspiring victory over the Lions.”
VerdictWaitingNot settled yet. This is graded once the result is in.
More power rankings
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Rich Eisen · Power Rankings · Close 50
Eisen endorsed the Eagles' defense carrying them to the NFC championship and the Rams being the NFL's best team, but predicted the NFC North sends only Green Bay and Detroit to the playoffs, that Kansas City wins five of its last seven, that the 49ers make the playoffs, that Baltimore wins the AFC North, and that Tampa Bay wins the NFC South with both the Bucs and Panthers losing their upcoming NFC West road games.Chris Brockman · Power Rankings · Close 50
Brockman argued the Eagles' defense is the NFL's best and will drag a mediocre offense to the NFC championship, that the NFC North sends only two teams to the playoffs with the Bears among them, that the Rams are the league's best team, that a healthy Brock Purdy makes the 49ers an NFC threat who will beat the Saints and Falcons, and that the Panthers win the NFC South.Nick Wright · Power Rankings · Miss 0
The host's five Week 9 NFL picks: Detroit over Minnesota, Pittsburgh +3 vs. Indianapolis, San Francisco over the Giants, Kansas City over Buffalo at Buffalo, and Seattle over Washington. They also call the Chiefs the best team in the league and Jonathan Taylor the NFL's best running back this year.