After falling to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Saturday night due to some questionable refereeing, fans of the Carolina Panthers watched with baited breath in the early Sunday slate to see if their playoff hopes could survive.
They did. It’s all thanks to the Atlanta Falcons, who knocked off the New Orleans Saints in a low-scoring 19-17 affair that meant the Panthers won the NFC South title.
It’s the first time the Panthers are going to the playoffs since 2017 – when the team fell to the Saints in the Wild Card.
This is also the first time since 2015 that Carolina has won the division title. That season, the Panthers went 15-1 and reached Super Bowl 50 before losing to the Denver Broncos.
In a sloppy, rain-soaked affair in south Florida, the Buccaneers held on to beat the Panthers 16-14. But they needed the Falcons to lose to New Orleans in order to make the playoffs for the fifth straight season.
However, despite the loss, Carolina held a tiebreak over both Atlanta and Tampa Bay – meaning a Falcons win would see them clinch the division crown.
The Carolina Panthers have won the NFC South by virtue of a rival team’s Sunday victory
Carolina advanced despite losing on Saturday to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who needed the Atlanta Falcons to then lose to the New Orleans Saints on Sunday to make the playoffs
However, the Falcons held on to beat the Saints – giving the Panthers the edge in a tiebreaker
It was a tight game, with the Falcons holding on to a 10-7 lead at the half. They extended the advantage to 13-7 on their first drive of the second half.
New Orleans followed that up with a field goal of their own to make it a three-point game going into the fourth quarter.
A Falcons field goal made it a six-point game before Saints quarterback Tyler Shough threw a costly interception on the Atlanta 14-yard line – turning the ball over.
Atlanta kicker Zane Gonzalez made his fourth field goal of the day to make it a 19-10 contest.
New Orleans put a little pressure on with a late touchdown. But they failed to recover the onside kick and the Falcons ran out the clock to secure their victory – as well as the Panthers’ playoff spot.
By virtue of winning the division, the 8-9 Panthers will host the five-seed in the playoffs.
They’ll host the Los Angeles Rams, who clinched the spot with a win over the Arizona Cardinals in their last regular season game.
