CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It didn’t happen the way they wanted, but the Carolina Panthers‘ seven-year playoff drought ended Sunday.
Carolina captured the NFC South for the first time since 2015 by virtue of the Atlanta Falcons‘ 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, about 250 miles south of Charlotte.
The Panthers qualified for postseason play less than 24 hours after a 16-14 loss to the Buccaneers that included several controversial plays on a rain-soaked day in Tampa, Florida.
The Falcons, Panthers and Saints all finished the regular season at 8-9. Carolina won the division because of a 3-1 record against the other two, including a 2-0 mark against Atlanta. The Bucs would have been the division champions had the Saints beaten or tied the Falcons.
The only remaining drama is Carolina’s opponent for next weekend’s NFC wild-card game. If the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, the Rams will travel to Charlotte, where they lost 31-28 to the Panthers on Nov. 30.
If the Rams lose, former Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers (12-5) come to Bank of America Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Panthers 20-9 on “Monday Night Football” in Week 12.
