Panthers actually have a highly unlikely fail-safe that can help Carolina clinch the NFC South even with a Week 18 loss to the Bucs
It’s not a scenario Carolina wants to have, but it can certainly help.
The Carolina Panthers failed to take care of business on Sunday in front of the home crowd against the top-ranked Seattle Seahawks after a poor showing by the offense that had little urgency for what was at stake in Week 17.
Fortunately, the same can be said for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who also dropped the ball against the Miami Dolphins on Sunday.
Clearly, no one wants to out-right win the NFC South this season and host a playoff game, at least that’s what it looks like. Thus setting up a do-or-die Week 18 game between the two teams at Tampa Bay this Saturday. Win and you’re in, lose and you’re watching the playoffs from the couch. Unless.
Panthers have one last fail-safe to protect themselves and need to root for the Falcons
There is one playoff clinching scenario for the Panthers that actually can help the team win the division, even with a Week 18 loss to the Buccaneers as crazy as it sounds.
Buccaneers Clinching Scenarios
- Win over Panthers + One loss by Falcons (Week 17 or 18)
Panthers Clinching Scenarios
- Win over Buccaneers
- Lose to Buccaneers + Falcons win out (Week 17 and 18)
That’s right, if the Atlanta Falcons win out against the Los Angeles Rams on “Monday Night Football” and then beat the New Orleans Saints in Week 18, it would create a 3-way tie for the NFC South lead, saying the Panthers lose to the Buccaneers. In that wild scenario, the Panthers would win the division based off the tie-breaker. So, Carolina will be rooting for Atlanta later today.
Ideally, Panthers just need to handle their own business for once
The easiest thing to do would be just winning in Week 18, plain and simple. It’s time for the Panthers to quit playing with their food because the Buccaneers have literally handed them the division title with the way they’ve played the last 10 weeks.
“We know what’s in front of us. It’s clearly defined. It was going to come down to this game, us handling our business and facing the Bucs one more time on the last game of the season. Couldn’t ask for a better situation,” head coach Dave Canales said. “We’ve gotta get over the fact that we missed an opportunity with the Bucs losing that game. But our focus has to go to the next one, really quickly.”
Late Sunday night, the Week 18 schedule was released. The Panthers and Buccaneers will face off at 4:30 p.m. on Saturday for basically all the marbles. Win and Carolina is in and hosting a playoff game.
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