Here's where the Panthers stand in various power rankings following their Week 1 victory over the San Francisco 49ers on the road.

NFL.com

Panthers rank: 18th (10th in NFC)
Previous rank: 23rd

NFC South: Falcons 5th, Buccaneers 12th, Panthers 18th, Saints 24th
This week's opponent: Bills 25th

Beyond the numbers: The Panthers answered a few of Elliot Harrison's questions in Week 1. The secondary impressed this weekend and made the 49ers' passing attack look silly. The defense deserves credit, and all in all, Carolina is trending up.

ESPN.com

Panthers rank: 11th (7th in NFC)
Previous rank: 16th

NFC South: Falcons 7th, Panthers 11th, Buccaneers 13th, Saints 19th
This week's opponent: Bills 27th

Beyond the numbers: The ESPN staff agrees that a 20-point victory in Week 1 is a strong beginning considering the Panthers' woeful start last season. However, Cam Newton failed to complete 60 percent of his passes for the eighth straight game. That will need to improve going forward.

CBSSports.com

Panthers rank: 15th (9th in NFC)
Previous rank: 19th

NFC South: Falcons 2nd, Buccaneers 10th, Panthers 15th, Saints 26th
This week's opponent: Bills 27th

Beyond the numbers: Pete Prisco gives credit to Carolina's dominating defense in Week 1, but writes that it's difficult to gauge against a team that isn't very good.

Yahoo Sports

Panthers rank: 11th (6th in NFC)
Previous rank: 13th

NFC South: Falcons 3rd, Panthers 11th, Buccaneers 17th, Saints 25th
This week's opponent: Bills 28th

Beyond the numbers: Frank Schwab points out that Carolina should feel a bit lucky they faced an inferior opponent in Week 1. Newton looked rusty, but he should look better this week against the Bills.

Bleacher Report

Panthers rank: 17th (13th in NFC) 
Previous rank: 24th

NFC South: Falcons 8th, Panthers 17th, Buccaneers 18th, Saints 20th
This week's opponent: Bills 21st

Beyond the numbers: Chris Simms admits Newton looked like Superman, even after throwing just two passes in the preseason. The Panthers offense has evolved with Christian McCaffrey and can now do things it couldn't a year ago. There's a lot of offensive weapons at Newton's disposal.

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