University of Kwazulu-Natal

Panthers Playoff Picture How Carolina Clinched Nfc South Title In Week

Bonisiwe Shabane
-
panthers playoff picture how carolina clinched nfc south title in week

The Carolina Panthers haven’t been to the NFC playoffs the last seven seasons. They haven’t won the NFC South title since 2015, the season in which they advanced to Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium. But the Panthers (8-9) ended both droughts ahead of Super Bowl 60, which also will be played in the 49ers’ home venue in Santa Clara, Calif. While Carolina lost to Tampa Bay in Week 18 with a chance to control its destiny, the Panthers got help when the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints to give Carolina a division... Here’s a breakdown of how the Panthers ended the regular season with an NFC South title: LIVE: Updated NFL playoff picture for Week 18

Here's a look at the current potential initial matchups for this year's playoffs: Sunday game result: With Atlanta’s 19-17 win over the Saints, the Panthers are NFC South champions. They will host a playoff game on Wild Card weekend as the No. 4 seed. Saturday game result: The Panthers lost to the Buccaneers on Saturday to open Week 18, and now they have to wait for the Falcons-Saints game to decide the division winner. The Panthers fell behind 10-0 but managed to come back and keep things interesting.

They scored a touchdown with 2:27 left, but by the time they got the ball back, they were too deep on their side of the field and did not have enough time. The Bucs are currently in first place in the division, but both of Saturday’s teams will be watching Falcons-Saints on Sunday. If the Saints win, the Bucs clinched the division based on the common games tiebreaker. If the Falcons win, we would have a three-way tie for first place and the Panthers would win the tiebreaker based on overall head-to-head record against the other two teams. The Carolina Panthers are 60 minutes of football away from their first playoff berth since 2017. Or maybe it’s 120 minutes.

We’ll explain more below, but the Panthers head into Week 18 with their highest win total since 2017 and showing signs of growth moving forward. They face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to close out the regular season in a game that could decide the NFC South champion. I say “could” because there is an usual clinching scenario for the Panthers. The Panthers-Bucs matchup kicks off in Tampa at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Panthers are field goal underdogs.

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 playoff field for the 2025 NFL season is set, the wild and crazy 272nd and final game of the regular season between the Ravens and Steelers determining the field's final entry − Pittsburgh,... One other division was determined Sunday − a day after the NFC South-winning Panthers lost in Tampa ... before the Falcons backed them onto the throne. Seeding in both conferences was also finalized Sunday, including the Broncos wrapping up the top spot in the AFC.

Here's where things stand with the regular season now complete: yz − 1. Denver Broncos (14-3), AFC West champions: Sunday's win over the Chargers, who rested a lot of key players, gave the Broncos home-field advantage and a first-round bye in a season which brought Denver's first... The common-games tiebreaker gives the Broncos the No. 1 seed instead of New England. Remaining schedule: Bye, TBD

y − 2. New England Patriots (14-3), AFC East champions: They have their first division title since 2019 even if they couldn't quite get up to the conference's top spot, as Tom Brady and Co. so frequently did. Their Week 1 loss to the Raiders cost them in the tiebreaker department. Remaining schedule: vs. Chargers, Jan.

11 (8 p.m. ET) The race for the NFC South title is officially going to come down to one game: Saints at Falcons. That's right, the division title will be decided by two teams that can't even win the division. That became a reality on Saturday after the Buccaneers secured a 16-14 win over the Panthers in an NFC South showdown that didn't end up deciding anything. If Carolina won the game, the Panthers would have clinched the division title, but because the Bucs won, the Saints-Falcons game on Sunday will now decide who wins the division.

How is that even possible? That's a great question. Let's answer it. The Falcons pulled off a shocker Monday night when they beat the Rams, 27-24. The win improved Atlanta's record to 7-9 -- and that's where things get interesting. Let's take a quick look at the NFC South standings so we can break down why Atlanta's win made such a huge difference in the division title race.

Sunday game result: With Atlanta’s 19-17 win over the Saints, the Panthers are NFC South champions. They will host a playoff game on Wild Card weekend as the No. 4 seed. Saturday game result: The Panthers lost to the Buccaneers on Saturday to open Week 18, and now they have to wait for the Falcons-Saints game to decide the division winner. The Panthers fell behind 10-0 but managed to come back and keep things interesting. They scored a touchdown with 2:27 left, but by the time they got the ball back, they were too deep on their side of the field and did not have enough time.

The Bucs are currently in first place in the division, but both of Saturday’s teams will be watching Falcons-Saints on Sunday. If the Saints win, the Bucs clinched the division based on the common games tiebreaker. If the Falcons win, we would have a three-way tie for first place and the Panthers would win the tiebreaker based on overall head-to-head record against the other two teams. The Carolina Panthers are 60 minutes of football away from their first playoff berth since 2017. Or maybe it’s 120 minutes. We’ll explain more below, but the Panthers head into Week 18 with their highest win total since 2017 and showing signs of growth moving forward.

They face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to close out the regular season in a game that could decide the NFC South champion. I say “could” because there is an usual clinching scenario for the Panthers. The Panthers-Bucs matchup kicks off in Tampa at 4:30 p.m. ET on Saturday. The Panthers are field goal underdogs. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers beat the Carolina Panthers on Saturday in a must-win game, but the Buccaneers needed more help on Sunday to win the division.

With the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints finishing their seasons in a matchup, Tampa Bay needed the Saints to prevail. However, it was the Falcons who won the game, which means that the Panthers finish the season as NFC South champions at 8-9. Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) throws a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard (30) runs around the tackle attempt from Tampa Bay Buccaneers cornerback Benjamin Morrison (21) during the first half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan.

3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O’Meara) Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young (9) throws under pressure during the first half of an NFL football game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken) Tampa Bay Buccaneers tight end Cade Otton (88) celebrates his touchdown catch with wide receiver Jalen McMillan (11) during the first half of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers Saturday, Jan.

3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken) Tampa Bay Buccaneers linebacker Lavonte David (54) celebrates after recovering a fumble by Carolina Panthers running back Rico Dowdle during the second half of an NFL football game Saturday, Jan. 3, 2026, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Jason Behnken) The Seattle Seahawks secured the No.

1 overall seed in the NFC and the NFC West title on Saturday night. Seattle's defense dominated the matchup with the San Francisco 49ers to land a first-round bye. Elsewhere in the NFC, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers did their part to stay alive in the NFC South with a home win over the Carolina Panthers on Saturday. The win didn't secure the division title for the Bucs, though, since they need the Atlanta Falcons to lose on Sunday for that to happen. The rest of the playoff fields in the AFC and NFC will be determined during Sunday's Week 18 games.

People Also Search

The Carolina Panthers Haven’t Been To The NFC Playoffs The

The Carolina Panthers haven’t been to the NFC playoffs the last seven seasons. They haven’t won the NFC South title since 2015, the season in which they advanced to Super Bowl 50 at Levi’s Stadium. But the Panthers (8-9) ended both droughts ahead of Super Bowl 60, which also will be played in the 49ers’ home venue in Santa Clara, Calif. While Carolina lost to Tampa Bay in Week 18 with a chance to ...

Here's A Look At The Current Potential Initial Matchups For

Here's a look at the current potential initial matchups for this year's playoffs: Sunday game result: With Atlanta’s 19-17 win over the Saints, the Panthers are NFC South champions. They will host a playoff game on Wild Card weekend as the No. 4 seed. Saturday game result: The Panthers lost to the Buccaneers on Saturday to open Week 18, and now they have to wait for the Falcons-Saints game to deci...

They Scored A Touchdown With 2:27 Left, But By The

They scored a touchdown with 2:27 left, but by the time they got the ball back, they were too deep on their side of the field and did not have enough time. The Bucs are currently in first place in the division, but both of Saturday’s teams will be watching Falcons-Saints on Sunday. If the Saints win, the Bucs clinched the division based on the common games tiebreaker. If the Falcons win, we would ...

We’ll Explain More Below, But The Panthers Head Into Week

We’ll explain more below, but the Panthers head into Week 18 with their highest win total since 2017 and showing signs of growth moving forward. They face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to close out the regular season in a game that could decide the NFC South champion. I say “could” because there is an usual clinching scenario for the Panthers. The Panthers-Bucs matchup kicks off in Tampa at 4:30 p.m. E...

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 ...