CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) – The Carolina Panthers’ path to the playoffs got a whole lot wider Monday, courtesy of the Atlanta Falcons.
The NFC South division crown has come down to the final week of the regular season, with the Panthers or Buccaneers the only two teams left with a chance. The division winner will guarantee themselves a spot in the playoffs and a home playoff game.
Entering the Week 18 regular season finale, the four NFC South teams have the following records:
Panthers: 8-8Buccaneers: 7-9Falcons: 7-9Saints: 6-10
Carolina retook sole possession of first place when it beat Tampa Bay in Charlotte on Dec. 21. Then, the Panthers and Bucs both lost on Dec. 28. Had the Panthers won, they could have clinched the NFC South title and secured their first playoff appearance since 2017.
Now entering the final week, there are two ways the Panthers could make the playoffs.
They play the Buccaneers again in Week 18, and a win would clinch the division for Carolina. A tie would also clinch for the Panthers.
If Tampa Bay wins, Carolina would still have a chance. In that scenario, both the Panthers and Bucs would finish the regular season with 8-9 records. If Atlanta beats New Orleans, they too would finish 8-9, creating a three-way tie atop the NFC South.
In the event of a three-way tie, whichever team has the best record against the other two would win the division. That team would be Carolina, which won both games against Atlanta and already beat Tampa Bay once.
Of course the simplest way for the Panthers to get into the postseason would be to just beat the Buccaneers. But because of the Falcons scenario, Carolina doesn’t necessarily have to beat Tampa. If Carolina does lose, though, it just has to hope Atlanta wins.
The NFL’s “Playoff Picture” tool gave Carolina a 72% chance to make the playoffs after Atlanta’s win Monday night over the Rams. Before, the Panthers had roughly a 46% chance.
The Panthers would make the playoffs with a win (or tie) against the Bucs, or a Falcons win over the Saints.(Jacob Kupferman | AP)Schedule notes
The Panthers and Buccaneers were originally scheduled to play their regular-season finale on Sunday, Jan. 4; however, that game got moved one day earlier to Saturday, Jan. 3. It will be broadcast nationally on ESPN and ABC, with a 4:30 p.m. EST kickoff.
The Falcons and Saints will play Sunday at 1 p.m.
Sportsbooks have both good and bad news for the Panthers. As of Tuesday morning, FanDuel listed the Panthers as three-point underdogs to the Bucs. Meanwhile, the Falcons were three-point favorites.
All eight of Carolina’s wins have come as the betting underdogs in 2025.
Even if the Panthers lose, though, the math is very clear: they are in the playoffs as long as the Falcons win.
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