Panthers win NFC South over Buccaneers after Falcons win thriller vs. Saints

On Sunday, the Carolina Panthers had everything on the line even though they were not playing, having lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in a close game on Saturday afternoon. Still, the Panthers needed the Atlanta Falcons to defeat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, which would give the Falcons, Panthers, and Buccaneers a three-way tie atop the NFC South, allowing the Panthers to win the division with a record of 8-9 thanks to the way the tiebreakers played out.

Thankfully for Carolina, that’s exactly what happened, as the Falcons defeated the Saints by a score of 19-17, recovering an onside kick in the waning seconds to secure the victory after having controlled things for much of the way.

The win allows the Panthers to backdoor their way into the playoffs for the first time since the 2017 season, where they will get a home game next weekend due to their status as division champions.

To say that this year was not a conventional postseason year for the Panthers would be an understatement, as the team struggled through more setbacks with quarterback Bryce Young and also lost in blowout fashion on several different occasions.

However, the Panthers did pick up some impressive wins this season, including against the Los Angeles Rams and the Green Bay Packers, meaning that they won’t be a pushover for whoever they get matched up with next week, especially considering that the game will be at home.

In any case, the Panthers’ opponent for the first round will be revealed later in the day on Sunday.

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