Don’t look now Panthers fans but after winning two in a row behind MIP candidate Bryce Young, the Carolina Panthers now have an outside shot at the playoffs. The season was written off by most fans after the Panthers started 1-7 and benched Young in favor of veteran Andy Dalton.
However, since the Dalton car accident that forced Young into the starting lineup again, the Panthers have started to resemble an actual NFL quality team for the first time in two years.
Say what you want about the quality of their opponents (Giants and Saints), but in the long run the victory against the Saints may prove to be a blessing.
The NFC South is easily described as the worst division in the NFL. The Falcons lead the division at 6-4 however they are coming off an embarrassing loss to the reeling Saints and haven't looked sharp over the past month of games.
The aforementioned Saints are stumbling by their own admission. After losing to the Panthers last week, the Saints made the decision to part ways with Head Coach Dennis Allen in a move that felt like throwing the towel in for the year.
Lastly in the NFC South division, you have the Buccaneers who when healthy are head and shoulders the best in the division. The key point is when healthy. The Bucs have an argument for the most injured team in the NFL right now which is not the position you want to be in going into a playoff push.
As of Week 10, the division standings look like this.
With such a weak division, even the Panthers theoretically have a path to the playoffs.
Going into their bye this week, the focus will be how to stop the best team in the NFL at the moment, the Kansas City Chiefs. The game is at home for the Panthers and crazier things have happened but in reality that’s most likely an L.
Following that hypothetical loss, the Panthers would be 3-8 going into the final stretch of games that includes matchups against the Bucs (twice), Eagles, Cowboys, Cardinals, and Falcons to end the year.
It will take a lot of praying and some magic but it’s not outside of the realm of possibility for there to be a two or even three-way tie going into the last week of the season at 7-9. With the Panthers playing the Falcons and the Saints at the Bucs in the last week of the season it would be winner-takes-all at that point.
With the way the schedule is set up there at the end, it feels to me like a “made for TV” script. Here’s to cheering on the Panthers' 3% chance of making the playoffs. Keep Pounding!
