University of Kwazulu-Natal

Panthers Clinch Nfc South Thanks To Falcons Win Over Saints Nfl Com

Bonisiwe Shabane
-
panthers clinch nfc south thanks to falcons win over saints nfl com

Backing into the playoffs is still getting into the playoffs. The Carolina Panthers have officially clinched the NFC South thanks to the Atlanta Falcons' 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. It is surely not the way the Panthers would have written it up. Carolina had an opportunity to clinch the division on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but instead fell, 16-14, to require a reprieve from another division rival. Nonetheless, reaching the postseason is certainly something to celebrate for the upstart Panthers. In head coach Dave Canales' second season at the helm, this will be the team's first playoff berth since 2017 and first division title since 2015 when Carolina advanced to Super Bowl 50.

Though sitting at an underwhelming 8-9, the Panthers do have two wins over teams in NFC playoff field -- the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams. They'll also benefit from hosting a wild-card game as a division winner. The battle for the NFC South title has officially come to an end. The Panthers secured the final NFC playoff spot on Sunday thanks to the Falcons beating the Saints. This Carolina's first division title in10 years. The Panthers lost to the Buccaneers on Saturday night 16–14, which put all the pressure on Sunday’s Saints–Falcons game.

If New Orleans would’ve won, then Tampa Bay would’ve earned the playoff spot. This complicated path to the playoffs definitely had the teams and the fans on the edge of their seats. Baker Mayfield, for instance, was a nervous wreck watching the game at home knowing his team’s playoff hopes were in the hands of a rival. 🥁🥁🥁@AtriumHealth | #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/mm6SF46EHP It was a close NFC South matchup on Sunday as Atlanta won 19–17 to help Carolina make the postseason. With an 8–9 record for the 2025 season, Carolina is the only playoff team with a losing record.

The Panthers hold onto the No. 4 NFC seed, setting them up to host the 49ers as of now. If the Rams beat the Cardinals in the late Sunday slate, then the Panthers will host Los Angeles instead next weekend in the wild-card round. The Panthers are division champions and going to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season, thanks to the Falcons. The Falcons beat the Saints 19-17 at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on Sunday to close their own season with four straight wins. The Panthers had a chance to clinch the NFC South on Saturday, but a loss to the Buccaneers kept the latter alive and set up a bizarre scenario to decide the fate of the...

It came down to a matchup between two teams already eliminated from postseason contention. Both the Bucs and Panthers entered Sunday with an 8-9 record, though Tampa Bay was in a slightly better situation, since they owned a common-games tiebreaker over the Panthers. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Carolina Panthers are playoff-bound for the first time in seven years and will host an NFC wild-card game against the Los Angeles Rams. Dee Alford's red-zone interception stopped a potential go-ahead drive by New Orleans, and the Atlanta Falcons beat the Saints 19-17 on Sunday to give the NFC South title to the Panthers. By closing the season with four consecutive wins, the Falcons (8-9) finished in a three-way tie with Carolina and Tampa Bay for first place in the NFC South.

The Panthers won the tiebreaker with the best record within the division. Watching on TV, second-year Panthers coach Dave Canales was locked in. "We were just excited, following it every single play. (We) couldn't take our eyes off the game." Canales said. "Just the turn of events, I wouldn't expect anything less from this matchup. Playing the Saints and knowing the type of football they've been playing down the stretch, and the Falcons are really putting things together."

Drake London #5 of the Atlanta Falcons attempts to make a catch during the fourth quarter of the game against the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Atlanta, Georgia. (Photo by Todd Kirkland/Getty Images) ATLANTA - Dee Alford’s red-zone interception halted a late New Orleans scoring threat Sunday, securing a 19-17 victory for the Atlanta Falcons and simultaneously handing the NFC South title to the Carolina Panthers. The Falcons finished the season with four consecutive wins to end at 8-9. The result created a three-way tie atop the division between Atlanta, Carolina, and Tampa Bay, but the Panthers claimed the tiebreaker based on their divisional record. It marks Carolina’s first division title in a decade and their first playoff berth since 2017.

Trailing 16-10 with just over three minutes remaining, the Saints drove to the Atlanta 20-yard line. Alford intercepted a Tyler Shough pass intended for Dante Pettis and returned it 59 yards. The turnover led to a 38-yard Zane Gonzalez field goal that extended the lead to nine points. New Orleans (6-11) saw its four-game winning streak end as Atlanta completed a season sweep of its rival. The outcome also eliminated Tampa Bay, which had kept its hopes alive with a win over Carolina on Saturday but required a Saints victory or tie to clinch the division. CHARLOTTE — For a day at least, the Panthers love the Falcons.

Atlanta beat New Orleans 19-17 Sunday at the Georgia Dome, creating a three-way tie atop the NFC South at 8-9. Thanks to an edge in the three-way tiebreaker, the Panthers won the NFC South title on Sunday. The Panthers swept the Falcons this year, and that was the difference. The Falcons did it with a stingy defense, and four field goals by former Panthers kicker Zane Gonzalez (which means all is forgiven for the whole Buffalo pregame thing in 2021). And having a Saints touchdown wiped out by an offensive pass interference was doubtless satisfying for a lot of Panthers fans watching on television. It's the first division championship for the Panthers since 2015, which, like 2003, was a year that began against the Jaguars and ended in the Super Bowl.

Just saying. For the first time in a decade, the Carolina Panthers are your NFC South champions! Carolina clinched the division crown on Sunday afternoon, thanks to the Atlanta Falcons' 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints. This marks the team's first NFC South title since 2015 and snaps a franchise-long playoff drought of seven seasons. The Panthers, who are locked into the conference's No. 4 seed, will now host their first playoff game since that 2015 campaign—which saw them defeat the Arizona Cardinals to advance to Super Bowl 50.

Their last playoff appearance came in 2017, when they were eliminated by the New Orleans Saints in that year's wild-card round. Their opponent for next weekend's postseason tilt will be determined by today's contest between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cardinals. A Rams win would match them up with the Panthers. A Cardinals win or a tie would send the San Francisco 49ers to Carolina. Follow @ThePanthersWire on Twitter/X for more Panthers content. The Panthers got the help they needed from the Falcons to win the NFC South for the first time since 2015.

Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images The Carolina Panthers couldn’t close the deal themselves the last two weeks, but they are postseason-bound anyway after the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints 19-17 on Sunday. The Falcons’ win created a three-way tie atop the NFC South among the Panthers, Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with Carolina earning the tiebreaker edge for its first playoff appearance since 2017 and first... The Panthers (8-9) will now host either the Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers on wild-card weekend, while the season ends for a Buccaneers team that lost seven of its final nine games. It may not have been the way Carolina drew it up after entering Saturday’s Week 18 showdown in Tampa with a chance to win and celebrate a division title on its own terms. The Panthers also could’ve clinched with a Week 17 upset of the Seattle Seahawks, the NFC’s top seed entering the playoffs.

But they lost at home to the Seahawks and then sputtered through a wet and sloppy 16-14 loss Saturday to the Buccaneers (8-9), forcing both teams to wait about 23 hours to learn their... Had the Saints — winners of four straight behind emerging rookie quarterback Tyler Shough — beaten the Falcons on Sunday, the Buccaneers would’ve been the NFC South champions for the fifth straight year. At that point, it would’ve only been a two-way tie between Carolina and Tampa Bay and the Bucs would’ve won on the third tiebreaker — record in common games. (The teams were even on the first two tiebreakers, splitting the head-to-head matchups and both owning 3-3 division records.)

People Also Search

Backing Into The Playoffs Is Still Getting Into The Playoffs.

Backing into the playoffs is still getting into the playoffs. The Carolina Panthers have officially clinched the NFC South thanks to the Atlanta Falcons' 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. It is surely not the way the Panthers would have written it up. Carolina had an opportunity to clinch the division on Saturday against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but instead fell, 16-14, to require ...

Though Sitting At An Underwhelming 8-9, The Panthers Do Have

Though sitting at an underwhelming 8-9, the Panthers do have two wins over teams in NFC playoff field -- the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams. They'll also benefit from hosting a wild-card game as a division winner. The battle for the NFC South title has officially come to an end. The Panthers secured the final NFC playoff spot on Sunday thanks to the Falcons beating the Saints. This Carolin...

If New Orleans Would’ve Won, Then Tampa Bay Would’ve Earned

If New Orleans would’ve won, then Tampa Bay would’ve earned the playoff spot. This complicated path to the playoffs definitely had the teams and the fans on the edge of their seats. Baker Mayfield, for instance, was a nervous wreck watching the game at home knowing his team’s playoff hopes were in the hands of a rival. 🥁🥁🥁@AtriumHealth | #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/mm6SF46EHP It was a close N...

The Panthers Hold Onto The No. 4 NFC Seed, Setting

The Panthers hold onto the No. 4 NFC seed, setting them up to host the 49ers as of now. If the Rams beat the Cardinals in the late Sunday slate, then the Panthers will host Los Angeles instead next weekend in the wild-card round. The Panthers are division champions and going to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season, thanks to the Falcons. The Falcons beat the Saints 19-17 at Merced...

It Came Down To A Matchup Between Two Teams Already

It came down to a matchup between two teams already eliminated from postseason contention. Both the Bucs and Panthers entered Sunday with an 8-9 record, though Tampa Bay was in a slightly better situation, since they owned a common-games tiebreaker over the Panthers. CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WTVD) -- The Carolina Panthers are playoff-bound for the first time in seven years and will host an NFC wild-card g...