“Somehow, the Carolina Panthers remain in the playoff race” is seemingly something we get to say every week. Well . . .
The Carolina Panthers remain in the playoff race after their Christmas Eve christening of the Detroit Lions. Oh, and they’re doing a little bit more than just remaining.
For the third straight go-round, thanks to their dominant upset victory, interim head coach Steve Wilks and crew are in control of their own destiny in the hunt for the NFC South crown.
At 6-9, all these Panthers have to do is win their final two games to clinch their first division title in seven seasons. Next up is the team they’re looking up at: the 7-8 Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Given their performances over the last month, the Bucs have shown they are clearly not built for the playoffs — only barely scraping by an Arizona Cardinals team and their third-string quarterback on Christmas night. The Panthers, on the other hand, look to be gaining steam with their strong running attack, big-play defense and newfound competent quarterback play.
There is little chance that this message is not ringing out in the halls of Carolina’s locker room, as Wilks is quite talented at motivating his players and sending a message home. The Panthers will come into this Week 17 showdown ready against the game’s greatest player of all time.
But if they don’t, it’s curtains for what’s been a wild 2022 — a Tampa Bay win would lock up the NFC South for Tom Brady’s Bucs.
