Since the start of the season, the Panthers have benched their starting quarterback, fired their head coach, and traded away their star running back. They’re last in their division, and there was that thing with their wide receiver Robbie Anderson getting in an altercation with the coach in the middle of a game (before being promptly traded).

But besides that, things are looking up!

I’m serious!

In the wake of so much turmoil, teams can fall apart or show resilience. It appears this new iteration of the Panthers has much more fight than what was shown at the beginning of the season. In the past two games — a dominating 21-3 victory of the Bucs, and a close overtime loss to the Falcons — the Panthers have shown some pop on offense.  

D’Onta Foreman has slid into the starting running back role and dominated, averaging 118 yards per game since Christian McCaffrey was traded to the 49ers. If he continues to play well, he may raise the ceiling for Carolina (and many fortunate fantasy owners). 

On the defensive side, the Panthers decided against trading away star pass rusher Brian Burns, which is good news for other teams vying for the No. 1 overall draft pick. His presence might just help keep Carolina in some games they might otherwise not lose (or cover, more importantly).