The Carolina Panthers have received some bad news following their big win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Carolina Panthers topped the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for a pivotal 23-20 win on Sunday, taking control of the NFC South in the process.
But while the Panthers now control their own destiny, the odds still aren't entirely in favor of their playoff chances.
In fact, The Athletic's playoff model still has the Buccaneers pegged at a 51 percent chance of winning the division considering they also control their own destiny.
There is no question that Carolina is facing a more arduous road than Tampa Bay.
While the Bucs will head on the road to face a hapless Miami Dolphins squad next Sunday, the Panthers will host the NFC-best Seattle Seahawks, who have everything to play for with the No. 1 seed on the line.
Not only that, but the Buccaneers will play host to Carolina in the regular-season finale.
Barring a Tampa Bay loss against the Dolphins in Week 17, the Panthers will have to win both of their remaining games and finish 10-7 to capture the NFC South crown, which will be a trying exercise for Carolina considering it has not won back-to-back games since Week 7.
Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young. Credit: Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images.The Panthers have traded losses and wins over their last eight contests, so consistency has certainly been a big problem for Carolina this season.
That being said, the Panthers have also won numerous games no one expected them to win, including victories over the Green Bay Packers and Los Angeles Rams. Heck, many felt they would lost to the Bucs this past weekend, as well.
Carolina has not made the playoffs since 2017 and has not won a division title in a decade, so the Panthers are certainly in unfamiliar territory at the moment.
Regardless of how things end this season, this has been a largely successful campaign for Carolina, which entered the year full of question marks after a 5-12 showing in 2024.
Of course, there are still questions for the Panthers to answer, such as whether or not Bryce Young is their franchise quarterback moving forward. Leading Carolina to an NFC South crawn, however, will go a long way in proving that Young still deserves a chance beyond 2025.
We'll see if the Panthers can continue to shock the world by beating the Seahawks.