The Panthers come off their bye week leading the NFC South thanks to two divisional losses by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. β The Carolina Panthers entered the bye week a half-game behind the NFC South lead, needing the woeful New Orleans Saints or inconsistent Atlanta Falcons to beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to increase their playoff odds.
New Orleans (3-10) and Atlanta (5-9) delivered, giving the Panthers (7-6) their first NFC South lead at this point of the season since 2017.Β
The Panthers will face the Saints in a rematch on Sunday. New Orleans won the first matchup 17-7 in upset fashion one week after the Panthers scored a monumental win over the Green Bay Packers.
Carolina’s playoff push seemed somewhat improbable after an 0-2 start and lackluster losses to the Patriots, Bills, and 49ers, but the Panthers and head coach have retained their resiliency and a “one-game-at-a-time” approach.Β
Even with the Panthers in the best position they’ve seen in years, Canales remains focused solely on this week’s game.
“Every game is a championship opportunity just like the one we have in front of us,” Canales said Wednesday. “There’s nothing worse than over the years you get through a season, and you look back, maybe you squeeze in a wild card berth, or maybe you win the division, but you didn’t get the seeding that you could have because of a game that got away from you earlier in the season.”
The Panthers’ last three wins came with late goals. The team’s 10-4 record in one-score games under Canales reflects what he calls a commitment to “finish” β a principle the first-year coach has preached since training camp.
“We look for finish opportunities every Friday. Focus Friday is a finish opportunity to wrap up the game plan,” Canales explained. “I just keep trying to look for a finish line to have a habit of bursting through the finish doing whatever it takes for as long as it takes.”
Quarterback Bryce Young, who has shown marked improvement this season in his second year under Canales’ system, downplayed the heightened stakes.
“At the end of the day, it’s just a game,” Young said. “All we can do is worry about this one. It’s the most important game of the year because it’s the next one.”
New Orleans held the Panthers to minimal rushing production in that first meeting, a concern Canales acknowledged his team must address.
“They beat us at our own game. We want to play a physical style of football, and they did a great job,” Canales said. “That’s the challenge in front of us.”
Carolina will get a boost with the return of center Austin Corbett, who was named the team’s Walter Payton Man of the Year nominee. Corbett will move back to his natural guard position while Robert Hunt shifts to center.
The Panthers also expect cornerbacks Jaycee Horn and Caleb Farley to return from concussion protocol.
Beyond the Saints, Carolina faces two critical matchups with the Buccaneers (7-7) that will ultimately decide their fate. Young, playing in his first meaningful December football, said the team atmosphere remains steady despite external excitement from fans.
“We’re super grateful for the support, for the energy from everyone in the city, in the Carolinas,” Young said. “But we all understand that’s stuff we can’t control. All we have is the work.”
The Panthers also participated in the team’s “Joy to Carolina” community event Tuesday night, with more than 60 players distributing food, toys, and shoes to nearly 1,000 children and family members.
“The players, you show up to these events, and you don’t know what to expect, but they were so into it,” Canales said. “It was a real blessing to be a part of that.”