SB Nation has the Panthers #1:
2015 NFL power rankings, Week 13: Panthers, Broncos move up, Patriots, Cardinals slip - SBNation.com
The still-unbeaten Carolina Panthers assume the crown with their Thanksgiving Day win over the Cowboys. In reality, the Panthers might have been playing the best football of any team in the NFL over the last few weeks, so it's an overdue honor to come in at No. 1 here, and with the way the season shakes out for them, they could run the table here on out. Carolina plays the Saints, Falcons (twice), Giants, and Buccaneers to close out the year, and imagining them finishing 16-0 isn't really all that tough. Not with the way that defense has been playing. Not with the way that Cam Newton has been balling out.
Here's the Panther Power Ranking from CBS Sports:
#1: Carolina Panthers
That defense is downright dominant right now. They have so much talent on that side of the ball and the offense is getting plenty of big-time plays from Cam Newton. They are the class of the league.
Apparently USA Today struggled to find something good to say about the Panthers:
#1 Carolina Panthers
Too bad for them New England lost. Now all that talk of 16-0 and '72 Dolphins champagne parties falls squarely on Carolina.
Yahoo Sports wasn't shy:
NFL Power Rankings: Carolina Panthers finally climb to the top | Shutdown Corner - Yahoo Sports
The Panthers deserve to be the No. 1-ranked NFL team. They have won all 11 games (ask New England how tough that can be) and have won eight of them by at least a touchdown. They have won their last three games by an average of 21.3 points, and that's not supposed to happen in the NFL. It's a team with an MVP candidate quarterback in Cam Newton and a defense that doesn't have many holes and superstars like cornerback Josh Norman and linebacker Luke Kuechly. Whatever we thought about the Panthers before this season or over the first few weeks doesn't matter anymore. They're legit.
NFL.com has seen the light:
NFL Power Rankings, Week 13: Carolina Panthers claim No. 1 - NFL.com
The shellacking this team handed the Cowboys at AT&T Stadium effectively Riverboat Ron'd any remaining non-believers. Actually, Rivera played most of the Thanksgiving game close to the vest, understanding that his defense was controlling the contest. This space has always felt Carolina is one of the better ballclubs in the NFL (although you wouldn't know it, judging from the mentions in my Twitter timeline), but has never felt the Panthers will go 16-0. Given the remainder of their schedule, however, I have to say it just might happen. Ditto Cam Newton winning the MVP, as the race between him and Tom Brady is a heckuva close shave right now. Shout-out to the scores of readers who felt change was needed at the top. An example (little biased, but that's OK):
When the Washington Post is off the Patriot nut sack bandwagon:
1. Carolina Panthers (11-0) | Last week’s rank: 2
For the first time this season, there is a new No. 1 team. New England’s loss leaves the Panthers as the league’s only undefeated team. Who would’ve thought before the season, especially when standout WR Kelvin Benjamin suffered his season-ending knee injury in training camp, that Carolina would be the final NFL team with a chance to go 16-0? But this team is no fluke. Its style is a bit unorthodox for today’s pass-happy NFL, but the Panthers are honest-to-goodness excellent. The remaining schedule is favorable for a run at an unbeaten regular season if Coach Ron Rivera does not choose to rest starters once the top playoff seed in the NFC is secured.
I don't see Rivera resting his starters no matter what, especially if he has a chance at history.