How Carolina could still win the NFC South over the Bucs
Are the Carolina Panthers in a win-win situation before facing the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? Even a one-sided loss to the Seattle Seahawks it wasn’t as damaging as many think it was involving the NFC South race.
That’s because Carolina could end up in a three-way tie atop the division.
Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk on NBC Sports presented the remaining scenarios there. Carolina in Tampa Bay next week isn’t exactly a winner-take-all scenario. Florio states that there is a caveat that applies to the Atlanta Falcons.
“If they win the last two (Rams, Saints) and the Bucs beat the Panthers, it would be a three-way tie atop the division,” Florio wrote, adding that 2011 was the last three-way in the AFC West (the Denver Broncos ended up winning the division on a tiebreaker.
How the Panthers win based on a tiebreaker scenario over the Buccaneers
Florio further delved into how Carolina, not Tampa Bay, can win the division and make it NFL playoffs.
“In a three-way tiebreaker, the Panthers would win the division based on best record in the three-way tie. Based on the Falcons sweep, the Panthers would be 3-1 and the Bucs would be 2-2,” Florio wrote. “So the Panthers can lose to the Bucs and win the division if the Falcons win. Which will turn the Panthers into huge Rams fans on Monday night.”
The Bucs can still clinch the division with a win. But either the Rams or the Saints must also help. The loss officially eliminates the Bucs from the postseason for the first time since 2019. The loss to Carolina also ends Tampa’s four-season streak of winning the division.
The Panthers, however, need a rejuvenated Brice Young next week. Young is already looking to erase Sunday’s dismal outing. He had two sacks and an interception in a loss.
Head coach Dave Canales will also want a team that keeps its composure and doesn’t make costly mistakes. Carolina was called for a personal facemask on 3rd-and-21 – which ultimately helped Seattle lead to three points before the ‘Hawks pulled away. Canales now faces his biggest Week 18 competition so far in his young coaching career.
2025-12-29 01:36:00
