Thanks Falcons, but eye on the ball
While the Falcons did the Panthers an enormous favor Monday night, not too many people in the Panthers locker room were prepared to throw them a party.
By beating the Rams, the Falcons preserved the chaos scenario, in which a three-way tie for first in the NFC South would allow the Panthers to go to the playoffs even with a loss at Tampa Saturday. (The Falcons would still need to beat the Saints on Sunday for that to happen.)
Quarterback Bryce Young wasn’t even aware of that scenario (as expected), and Canales took it back to the most basic one — if they win, they’re in.
“We’re aware of all those scenarios, and it’s a pretty simple path,” Canales said. “We’ve got to handle business and win the game, and that’s got to be our focus, first and foremost. A team that I really respect and that we just played a couple weeks ago, so we have to approach this thing like we didn’t just play them, don’t take anything for granted, make sure we’re on the details, and all the other scenarios will play out how they will.
“I was watching the game last night. I watch every game on Monday night, and, you know, this one right here, it’s got implications. But at the same time, the focus has to be there for us to be able to handle business and play our best ball.”
To make it clear, the Panthers will win the division with a win or a tie Saturday at Tampa, or a Falcons win Sunday. The Bucs need a win coupled with a Falcons loss or tie to advance.
Either way, the NFC West champion is locked into the fourth seed and will play the runner-up from the NFC West.
The Rams need a win over the Cardinals, plus a 49ers loss to the Seahawks, to get to the fifth seed. Seattle becomes the fifth seed with a loss to the 49ers Saturday night, while the 49ers end up in that spot with a tie against the Seahawks, or a loss to the Seahawks plus a Rams loss or tie.
