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USA Today Sports Media Group
USA Today Sports Media Group
Sport
Natalie Miller

Panthers control their own destiny in NFC South after Week 14 win

Steve Wilks and the Carolina Panthers went into Lumen Field in Week 14 with a mindset geared towards playoff football. And, sure enough, it paid off.

Carolina’s 30-24 triumph over the Seattle Seahawks, along with a 35-7 loss by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, moved Wilks’ cats just one game behind the NFC South lead. The win has also given these 5-8 Panthers control of their own destiny.

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Now in second place with a 3-1 divisional record, Carolina is in a favorable position to build ahead towards a playoff spot. To get there, they’ll have to conquer a final four-game stretch—one that includes zero teams with a winning record.

So—seeing as though they toppled the seven-win Seahawks in Seattle—perhaps the likes of the 5-8 Pittsburgh Steelers, 6-7 Detroit Lions, 6-7 Buccaneers and 4-9 New Orleans Saints don’t seem all too daunting.

But, as these Panthers continue to win the day, it’s refreshing to witness such a feel-good turnaround. Wilks deserves a lot of credit for pulling a once dead-in-the-water, 1-4 team out of the depths of despair and into contention.

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