NFL Power Rankings: Where Do Panthers Rank After Cam Newton's Dazzling Debut?

After the struggles he went through in the preseason, expectations for Cam Newton's regular season debut with the Carolina Panthers were understandably low.

Little did we know.

In the event that you somehow missed it, Newton was utterly brilliant on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals. The Panthers lost 28-21, but Newton passed for 422 yards and two touchdowns, and also added another touchdown on the ground. His 422 passing yards are an NFL rookie record for Week 1.

Obviously, you have to tip your cap to Newton. You also have to tip it to the Panthers. Apparently, they knew what they were doing when they drafted Newton with the No. 1 overall pick.

The other thing you have to do is wonder just how good the Panthers can be under Newton. The answer to that question, I think, is not as bad as we all thought they were going to be.

If I may make a small confession, I have to admit that I had the Panthers at No. 32 on my power rankings to start the season. No. 32 as in dead last in the NFL, in case you're scoring at home.

At the time, my thinking was that Newton simply wasn't going to be able to do enough to help the Panthers. It was, after all, quite obvious during the preseason that Newton still needed a lot of training, and that he was going to get it on the job just didn't bode well for the Panthers.

If we learned one thing on Sunday, though, it's that Newton's uncanny natural ability to make plays is still there, along with his tremendous raw talent. He still has learning to do, but the fact that these things alone led him to perform as well as he did is pretty darned impressive.

Because the Panthers still lost the game, they obviously can't move up too much in anybody's power rankings. As for my own, I decided to bump them up four spots to No. 28.

Now that may not seem like much of a consolation prize, but keep in mind that the Panthers moved up four spots after a loss. I don't think I've ever moved a team up that much after a loss, and I highly doubt I'm alone in that regard.

There's no such thing as a special loss. But thanks to Newton, the Panthers came pretty darn close to achieving one.

2011 NFL Power Rankings
1. New England Patriots
2. Green Bay Packers
3.  Baltimore Ravens
4. Philadelphia Eagles
5. New Orleans Saints
6. Houston Texans
7. San Diego Chargers
8. Pittsburgh Steelers
9. Atlanta Falcons
10. Detroit Lions
11. Chicago Bears
12. New York Jets
13. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
14. Arizona Cardinals
15. Dallas Cowboys
16. Kansas City Chiefs
17. New York Giants
18. St. Louis Rams
19. Oakland Raiders
20. Jacksonville Jaguars
21. Tennessee Titans
22. Washington Redskins
23. Indianapolis Colts
24. Buffalo Bills
25. Miami Dolphins
26. Cleveland Browns
27. San Francisco 49ers
28. Carolina Panthers
29. Minnesota Vikings
30. Cincinnati Bengals
31. Denver Broncos
32. Seattle Seahawks