If you had told many Panthers fans that their team would be 9-4 with three weeks left in the season, they would probably assume the Panthers were sitting pretty and fighting for the top spot in the NFC, perhaps in the hunt for home-field advantage. While there is still a chance the Panthers could jump to a first-round bye, they would be hopping over the Saints, Rams, Vikings and perhaps Eagles to get there; the playoff scenarios are unbelievably complicated with this much time left in the season, so let’s avoid some confusion and get this one out of the way.
Win Out And They’re In
If the Panthers beat the Packers, Bucs, and Falcons over the next three weeks, they’re assured of a playoff spot; in fact, there are scenarios in which the Panthers could have a playoff spot clinched after Week 16 if they beat the Packers and Bucs and get some help from their friends throughout the league. So the easiest way for the Panthers to assure themselves of a playoff spot is to just take care of business the next three weeks and let the rest of the NFL fall where it may. A 12-4 record is good enough for at the very least a wild card spot, no matter what happens with the rest of the league.
NFC South Crown
This is not as confusing as it seems. The Panthers are tied with New Orleans for the best record in the NFC South but will lose the division if they remain that way because they were swept during the regular season by the Saints; if the Panthers win out, they will need the Saints to lose at least one game to either the Jets, Bucs, or Falcons for the Panthers to win the NFC South at 12-4. So if you want to root for someone besides the Panthers this weekend, you’ll want to root for the Jets, who play at the same time as the Panthers on Sunday; you’ll also want to root for the Bucs to beat the Falcons on Monday Night Football.
If the Panthers lose a game, it gets much more complicated. Because the Falcons are a game back of the Saints and Panthers and play both teams in the final three games, Atlanta could actually hop over both teams and win the NFC South crown if they win out. The division is truly up for grabs with only three games remaining on the schedule.
The Nightmare Scenario
Are you ready? Let’s play out a scenario that is going to seem much too plausible for any Panthers’ fans taste:
- Week 15
- Panthers beat the Packers
- Saints beat the Jets
- Falcons beat the Bucs
- Seahawks beat the Rams
Seems plausible, right?
- Week 16
- Panthers beat the Bucs
- Falcons beat the Saints
- Rams beat the Titans
- Seahawks beat the Cowboys
Definitely could happen.
- Week 17
- Saints beat the Bucs
- Rams beat the 49ers
- Seahawks beat the Cardinals
- Falcons beat the Panthers
Here’s how the playoff picture would shake out in that scenario:
If Weeks 15 & 16 go according to the outlined scenario in which the biggest upset is the Falcons beating the Saints, the Panthers would be fighting for their playoff lives come New Years Eve, heading into Atlanta to face a Falcons team that had just won six of their last seven and swept the Saints.
Scary.
