With their win over the New Orleans Saints, the Atlanta Falcons took over control of the NFC South over the weekend. They are now in the driver’s seat to take home the division crown, and they have one of the league’s softest remaining schedules. But the Falcons have the worst record of any division leader by a long shot, sporting a losing mark of 5-6 through their first 11 games. And because of the South’s futility, the lowly Carolina Panthers are technically still alive.
Carolina Panthers Are Technically Still Alive In NFC South
David Tepper purchased the Carolina Panthers in 2018. The 2018 Panthers were 6-2 when this happened. Since this moment, Carolina has gone 24-61. pic.twitter.com/uyV08msY4W
— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) November 27, 2023
There is no disputing that the Panthers are the worst team in the NFL. They have the league’s worst record at 1-10 and Bryce Young has struggled in his rookie campaign, and they just made Frank Reich the shortest tenured head coach since 1976.
But somehow, with six games left, Carolina still has an extremely long shot chance of hosting a playoff game. They are 4 games back (pre-tie breakers) of both the Saints and Falcons, and would catch them by Week 17 should they happen to win their next four games.
As highly unlikely as that scenario would be, they would also need Atlanta and New Orleans to lose out with their overly soft schedules, making the odds astronomical.
A Losing Team Won The Division Just Last Year
Breaking: The Carolina Panthers have fired head coach Frank Reich, a source confirmed to ESPN.
First reported by NFL Network. pic.twitter.com/4M6vvzDltd
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 27, 2023
So while the wild statistic highlights the Panthers, it is actually a testament to how poor the NFC South is as a whole. We have seen teams with losing records win the division before, and you don’t have to go too far back in the history books. It happened just last season, when Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished 8-9 and hosted a wild card game against the Dallas Cowboys.
It is more likely that the Panthers finish with the league’s worst record, rather than essentially any other scenario. Unfortunately for Carolina, they traded away the rights to their 2024 first round draft pick in order to acquire Young, and the Bears will be the lucky benefactors of the team’s struggles this season.
The Panthers will take on the Buccaneers in Week 13, and would be officially eliminated with the combination of a loss and a win by the Falcons over the Jets.
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