The Carolina Panthers could lose their game later today, but that doesn’t necessarily mean they’d also lose all hope in the NFC South race.
As noted by FOX Sports NFC South reporter Greg Auman on Friday, the Panthers can still win their division even if they were to lose two of their next three games. But, those terms would have to be pretty stringent.
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For Carolina to clinch it at 6-11, the following must occur:
- Panthers lose to the Detroit Lions (Week 16)
- Panthers defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (Week 17)
- Panthers lose to the New Orleans Saints (Week 18)
- Buccaneers lose to the Arizona Cardinals, Panthers and Atlanta Falcons (Weeks 16 to 18)
- Saints lose to the Cleveland Browns and Philadelphia Eagles (Weeks 16 and 17)
- Falcons lose to the Baltimore Ravens and Cardinals (Weeks 16 and 17)
This scenario would set an NFL record . . . kinda. A 6-11 mark would account for the worst winning percentage by a division winner in league history—”trumping” the 7-9 Seattle Seahawks of 2010.
Or, the Panthers can make this a lot less messy and just win out for the title. We’ll see if they choose cleanliness or chaos.
