For most of Dave Canales' time in Carolina, the conversation has been about what the Panthers might eventually become. There have been good stretches, some bad ones and plenty of weeks where we were left wondering whether this thing was actually headed in the right direction.

We're finally getting an answer.

NFL.com's Nick Shook has the Panthers at No. 13 in his latest power rankings, but what he said about Canales and the Panthers stood out more to me than the ranking itself. Shook called Carolina more consistent than it has ever been under Canales and said the Panthers look like a playoff team. He also said he's very optimistic about Carolina's chances of winning the NFC South.

That's not something we've heard much around here lately, but I'm starting to understand why he's saying it.

Canales finally has something to build on

Carolina is 3-2 and has won three of its last four games. Bryce Young is playing the best football of his career, Chuba Hubbard just ran for 120 yards in Philadelphia, and the Panthers finally have Jalen Coker and Tetairoa McMillan healthy and on the field together.

The defense is doing its part, too. Carolina held Philadelphia to 222 total yards in Sunday's 25-14 win and has now held back-to-back opponents under 50 rushing yards. There are still things that need to be cleaned up, but we're seeing this team play well in more than one area at the same time.

That hasn't always been the case under Canales. There have been games when the offense looked good and the defense couldn't get a stop, or the defense kept Carolina in it while the offense couldn't do much with the opportunity. We're seeing a more complete team now.

I'm not saying Canales suddenly has everything figured out. I gave him a B for the win in Philadelphia, and I still think that's about right. Carolina committed 13 penalties for a franchise-record 149 yards, and letting the clock run out at the end of the first half with three timeouts is still a decision I don't understand.

But there's a difference between questioning some of the decisions Canales makes on Sundays and questioning whether the Panthers are actually getting better under him. I'm having a much harder time questioning the second one.

Tampa Bay will tell us a little more

The Panthers have given us good stretches before, only to turn around and look like a completely different team the next week. That's probably why I'm still a little hesitant to go as far as Shook and call Carolina a playoff team after five games.

Sunday in Philadelphia moved me a little closer, though. The Panthers made a mess of things and still found a way to win, which is something we haven't seen nearly enough around here. They overcame 149 penalty yards, got the running game going when they needed it and finished the game instead of giving Philadelphia another chance to steal it.

Tampa Bay comes to Charlotte on Sunday with first place in the NFC South on the line. If Carolina wins again and moves to 4-2, we're probably going to have to look at this team a little differently.

That's why I think Shook's comments are worth paying attention to. Calling Carolina consistent and talking about the Panthers as a playoff team would've sounded pretty wild not that long ago.

It doesn't sound nearly as wild anymore.