For the primary time in a decade, the Carolina Panthers are NFC South champions. For the primary time in NFL historical past, the Panthers are the one franchise to make the postseason with a dropping report twice.
Carolina realized its destiny on Sunday when the Atlanta Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints, sparing the Panthers on account of a three-way tiebreaker amongst 8-9 groups. The Buccaneers beat the Panthers on Saturday and Atlanta determined the division title among the many three groups atop the NFC South, which went to Carolina by advantage of the perfect head-to-head report.
“The neighborhood is loopy. We had been yelling from our sofa, as a household,” Canales mentioned of his expertise Sunday as a Falcons’ fan. “Walked exterior the place we usually journey bikes and stroll the canines and there have been simply neighbors within the entrance yards. Actually excited.”
One in every of 14 groups who’ve extra soccer to play past the common season, Panthers head coach Dave Canales mentioned Sunday evening he hasn’t heard when Carolina may play subsequent weekend. However he’ll have that info earlier than the tip of the evening and start plotting his first playoff plan as a head coach after turning round a franchise that went 5-12 final season and 2-15 in 2023 earlier than he was employed.
“We’ll go proper again to work,” Canales mentioned.
The Panthers additionally made the playoffs with a dropping report — 7-8-1 — in 2014. They adopted that up with a 15-1 mark in 2015, their final division championship season.
Carolina has solely reached the playoff as soon as since then, following an 11-5, second-place end in 2017.
However Canales mentioned report is insignificant beginning Monday, when each playoff workforce is on equal footing at 0-0. As division champions, the Panthers will host an NFC wild-card recreation towards the Los Angeles Rams or San Francisco 49ers.
“The familiarity offers a stage of confidence when it comes to what we’re up towards,” he mentioned.
Carolina performed the 49ers and Rams in consecutive weeks, dropping at San Francisco (20-9) on Nov. 24 and beating the Rams (31-28) six days later.
–Discipline Stage Media
