NFL Power Rankings, Week 8: Rams finally end losing streak by blowing out Falcons

11. Carolina Panthers (13)

All hope seemed lost for the Carolina Panthers back in the middle of September when the team started 0-2, and Ron Rivera was clearly on the hot seat, but they deserve a ton of credit for turning things around.

Even more impressive, the Panthers managed to enter the bye week on a four-game winning streak with Kyle Allen under center while Cam Newton dealt with an injury, and all of a sudden finds themselves with an interesting decision at quarterback.

All due respect to Newton since the former No. 1 pick has looked great at times throughout his career, and his MVP campaign a few years ago will back that claim up, but if Carolina wants to keep the momentum going, Allen is their best option under center.

Keep in mind how much the Panthers struggled on offense for the most part during those first two weeks of action, and the last thing Rivera can afford is to see his unit take a step back.

Until Allen proves he doesn’t deserve to be the starter, Rivera just needs to keep him as the Panthers quarterback under center, and another strong performance against a tough defense in the San Francisco 49ers could continue making a stronger case.