2019 NFL power rankings, Week 4: Saints rise, Chargers slide

Recap: The last time the Panthers opened the season with two losses (2013), the club rebounded to finish 12-4 and went on to win the NFC South. Ron Rivera’s team would hit the road for the first time since 2019 and Kyle Allen would get the start behind center. And Norv Turner’s offense was impressive, rolling up 413 total yards, with Christian McCaffrey totaling all but 20 of the club’s 173 yards on the ground. Allen would hit on 19 of his 26 throws for 261 yards and four touchdowns, including a pair of scoring tosses to tight end Greg Olsen. And led by Mario Addison, Carolina’s defensive unit limited Arizona to 248 total yards and sacked Kyler Murray eight times.

Next Week: The Panthers make their way to Houston for the first time since 2011 as these inter-conference foes collide for only the fifth time. Carolina has prevailed the last two meetings, the latest a 24-17 victory in 2015 at Charlotte. Meanwhile, the Panthers’ last road tilt in this infrequent series resulted in a 28-13 win eight years ago.

Playoff hopes: Kudos to Rivera and his coaching staff for having his club ready for a tricky road game and with a quarterback making just his second professional start. The Panthers exploited Arizona’s defensive weaknesses and looked like a very confident football team, something that wasn’t the case in that prime time loss to the Bucs.

Recap: The Buccaneers had a little extra time to prepare for the visiting Giants and their rookie quarterback. And when Bruce Arians’ club took a 28-10 lead after 30 minutes of play, you had to like Tampa’s chances. But Daniel Jones would lead New York all the way back and the G-Men took a one-point lead with 1:16 to play. Rookie kicker Matt Gay, who hit on his first four field goal attempts but failed on a pair of PATs (the second one blocked) pushed a 34-yard field goal try wide right on the final play of the game. Wideout Mike Evans caught eight passes for 190 yards and three scores and Shaquil Barrett had four sacks and two forced fumbles in the losing effort.

Next Week: Arians takes his team west to face the Rams, a club that Buccaneers’ current head coach had to deal with twice a year from 2013-17 while he was in charge of the Cardinals. Tampa has dropped five straight in this setting dating back to 2012, the latest clash resulting in a wild 37-32 setback in 2016 at Raymond James Stadium.

Playoff hopes: Are the Buccaneers capable of making a run at the postseason and reaching the playoffs for the first time since 2007? So far, the team has been its own worst enemy in a pair of home losses. The first saw Arians’ club self-destruct via turnovers and the latter saw Todd Bowles’ defense come unglued in the second half. Perplexing.

Next: Nos. 20 and 19