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 division title since 2015.
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 fate.
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.)
But the presence of the Falcons (8-9), who were eliminated from postseason contention a month ago, complicated things. Atlanta won its final four games, all with Kirk Cousins at quarterback, to jump into a tie for first place. The tiebreaker in a three-way scenario starts with each team’s record against the other two teams, and that’s where Carolina came out on top; the Panthers went 3-1 against the Bucs and Falcons, while the Bucs went 2-2 and the Falcons went 1-3 against the other two teams.
The Panthers aren’t exactly surging to the playoffs. They haven’t won consecutive games since October, when they went on a three-game winning streak. Starting in Week 7, Carolina had alternated wins and losses every week until losing its final two games. But still, the Panthers are in the tournament as the first playoff team with a losing record since the Bucs in 2022. They are the fifth team to make the playoffs with a losing record in a non-strike-shortened season, joining the 2010 Seahawks (7-9), 2014 Panthers (7-8-1), 2020 Washington Football Team (7-9) and 2022 Buccaneers (8-9).
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Carolina will take it
After going 0-for-2 in win-and-in games, the Panthers had to sweat through a different type of stress Sunday afternoon. But when you haven’t been to the playoffs since 2017, you take it any way you can get it. Fueled by four field goals by former Carolina kicker Zane Gonzalez, the Falcons punched the Panthers’ postseason ticket by beating the Saints.
The Panthers squandered chances to clinch on their own by losing to Seattle and Tampa Bay the past two weeks. But now they’re in and will host a wild-card game next weekend against San Francisco or the L.A. Rams. The Panthers won the NFC South with a losing record, but Dave Canales made no apologies for that possibility Saturday night in Tampa.
“It’s a grimy, gritty division,” Canales said. “Between our team, between the Falcons and the Bucs, we have had our share of wins against top opponents in this league. We all play a similar style of football and the pride of it is on just physicality and playing really tough and that’s where this division is headed.
“I’m proud to be part of it. Whatever the record ends up at the end, I know that for whoever gets to get into this postseason, they’re going to bring a physical brand of football and I think that that travels well, running the football and defense really travels well.” — Joseph Person, Panthers beat writer
The one that got away
Tampa Bay opened the season on a strong note, going 6-2 with wins over quality teams like the Houston Texans, Seattle Seahawks and San Francisco 49ers. The Bucs looked like true contenders as they overcame injuries and kept getting the job done. But then came the perplexing second-half slide that featured a 1-7 collapse before Saturday’s win over Carolina. New Orleans couldn’t offer the assist the Bucs needed, and now they enter an offseason that will feature loads of questions and tough calls to be made. Coach Todd Bowles said Saturday night, “We could’ve made a ton of plays but we can’t look back and dwell on it.” However, the Buccaneers brass’ review of the season will require plenty of dissecting of the moves that didn’t pan out. — Mike Jones, NFL writer
Bowles on the hot seat?
During the slide, Bowles and his staff seemed baffled, unable to make the necessary adjustments to get the team back on track. His bosses must decide if the 62-year-old coach is still the man to lead the team. And that’s if Bowles, who did sign an extension during the summer, still has a desire to continue coaching. — Jones
Todd Bowles won NFC South titles in his first three seasons, but a 1-7 skid in 2025 ended the Bucs’ streak of division crowns. (Mike Ehrmann / Getty Images)
Scouting the wild-card opponent
When the Panthers won the NFC South in 2014 with a 7-8-1 record, Ron Rivera’s squad went on to win a game in the playoffs, defeating the Arizona Cardinals in the wild-card round before bowing out to Seattle in the divisional round. The Panthers’ postseason this year again will start against the NFC West. The Panthers dropped a Monday night game to San Francisco in Week 13 when the 49ers intercepted Bryce Young twice and Christian McCaffrey racked up 142 scrimmage yards and a touchdown. But Young and the defense bounced back the following week in a 31-28 win over the Rams in Charlotte. The Panthers forced three Matthew Stafford turnovers, including a pick six by Mike Jackson, while Young completed 15 of 20 passes for 206 yards and three touchdowns. — Person
Mayfield’s future
Baker Mayfield was the perfect quarterback to help turn the page on the Tom Brady era. He has served as a much-needed fiery leader who has endeared himself to teammates. His contract expires following the 2026 season, however, so the Buccaneers must decide whether to extend the 30-year-old quarterback this offseason, or let him go into the next season without any long-term security. — Jones
Youth movement needed in Tampa
Tampa Bay has multiple long-time franchise cornerstones who are past their primes, and despite the respect they command, it’s imperative the Bucs get younger and more explosive at the linebacker positions, at pass rusher and along the interior of their offensive line. The team also needs more playmakers with wide receivers like Mike Evans and Chris Godwin on the wrong side of 30 and having dealt with serious injuries in the last year. — Jones
