The Carolina Panthers now stand alone atop the NFC South, thanks to a 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday.

But where, with just two weeks to go and a playoff spot waiting to be clinched, do they stand in the NFL landscape?

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Here’s where the Panthers have landed across this week’s power rankings following their massive victory at Bank of America Stadium . . .

USA Today

Rank: 16 (+1)

Author: Nate Davis

Take: Crazy stat − QB Bryce Young has 14 NFL wins on his résumé … and all but two have required a game-winning drive after the third quarter.

NFL Media

Rank: 14 (+4)

Author: Eric Edholm

Take: In an electric environment at Bank of America Stadium, the Panthers primed their fans for a home playoff game with a stirring win over the rival Buccaneers to take control of the NFC South. Win out, including the Week 18 game at Tampa, and the Panthers will be hosting in Round 1 — possibly against a Rams team they beat in Charlotte less than a month ago. Bryce Young is starting to earn a reputation as a late-game finisher, logging his 12th game-winning drive over the past three seasons. Young made several big throws and escaped pressure with some timely scrambles, and Tetairoa McMillan had his biggest game in a month. There were also heroes on defense, including Lathan Ransom — Week 15’s goat with a late penalty — who intercepted Baker Mayfield to ice the game.

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ESPN

Rank: 16 (+4)

Author: David Newton

Take (on team’s rookie of the year [wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan]): In addition to being Carolina’s receiving leader, he also leads all rookie receivers with 65 catches for 924 yards and 7 touchdowns. He’s quarterback Bryce Young’s most dependable target and a big reason the third-year QB’s stats have improved significantly in 2025. The Offensive Rookie of the Year award seems inevitable for McMillan, justifying Carolina drafting him No. 8.

Pro Football Talk

Rank: 14 (+2)

Author: Mike Florio

Take: Could the Rams be coming back to Charlotte for a wild-card rematch?

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CBS Sports

Rank: 13 (+1)

Author: Pete Prisco

Take: They made the key plays down the stretch to beat the Bucs in a big game Sunday, but now face a tough Seattle team. Bryce Young made some big throws on the game-winning drive.

Sports Illustrated

Rank: 15 (+2)

Author: Conor Orr

Take: While game-winning drives are a dubious statistic, the fact that Bryce Young now has 10 of them since being benched in an offense that clearly hinges on an inside run game is pretty impressive. So is his interception-to-TD ratio in that time (42:15). So is the fact that picking up his fifth year option seems like a foregone conclusion now.

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The Athletic

Rank: 14 (+3)

Author: Chad Graff and Josh Kendall

Take: Through the first 10 weeks of the season, the Panthers offense ranked 10th in EPA per rush. Since then, it ranks 24th. The win on Sunday was impressive (and important), but Rico Dowdle managed just 29 yards on nine carries — and was still the team’s leading rusher.

Bleacher Report

Rank: 14 (+2)

Author: Maurice Moton

Take: After knocking off the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, the Carolina Panthers are in sole possession of first place in the NFC South. Since Week 7, they’ve alternated wins and losses.

Carolina will look to sustain momentum when it hosts the Seattle Seahawks for its home regular-season finale, a tough task against the NFC’s No. 1 seed.

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Nonetheless, Panthers quarterback Bryce Young has shown significant growth over the past year. He’s propelled Carolina to division title hopes with five game-winning drives and turned in another efficient passing performance this past Sunday, throwing for 191 yards and two touchdowns.

Atop the NFC South, the Panthers have earned more respect in our power rankings, if only slightly.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: NFL power rankings: Where do the Panthers stand after Week 16 win?