As the Carolina Panthers (7-6) get a much-needed week of recovery in the Week 14 bye, the rest of the NFL continues the march to the postseason. With key matchups, beginning with Thursday Night Football, on the horizon, we examine which games hold ramifications for the Panthers’ playoff outlook.
Panthers Will Move Up in the Wild Card Standings
The Carolina Panthers will directly benefit from whichever result comes from the Week 14 Thursday Night Football game. The Dallas Cowboys (6-5-1) face the Detroit Lions (7-5) on Thursday, in a game that will have a tangible impact on the Wild Card positioning.
Carolina will move into ninth place in the NFC regardless of which team wins. Still, they would hold the tiebreaker over the Cowboys because of the 30-27 win in Week 6. Dallas would see its odds of a playoff berth jump 14.30% (from 21.40% to 35.70%) with a win. In comparison, Detroit would leap to 48.90% from 35% (an increase of 13.90%).
Despite the one-spot climb, the most prosperous path for the Panthers remains the battle for the NFC South title.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-5) square off against the New Orleans Saints (2-10) in a divisional matchup. The Buccaneers currently have a 66.30% chance of making the playoffs, and a 64.50% chance of winning the division. Should Tampa Bay win on Sunday against the Saints — which is more likely than not — PFSN’s Playoff Predictor Analytics place them with 75.90% playoff odds and a 73.60% chance to take the NFC South title.
A loss for Tampa Bay would be significant, as it would put them in a tie with Carolina at 7-6 overall and 2-1 within the division going into Week 15. The Panthers play in New Orleans in Week 15, looking to exact revenge following their disappointing 17-7 home loss against the Saints in Week 10.
The Falcons (4-8) host the Seattle Seahawks (9-3) on Sunday in Atlanta. The Seahawks have won six of their last seven games and will be hosting the Indianapolis Colts (8-4) in Week 15. The Week 14 contest in Atlanta has a “trap game” setup, which could also benefit the Carolina Panthers, as they will face off against Seattle in Week 17.
The two weeks between the Saints and the Seahawks games for Carolina will be critical matchups against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. While the Panthers will undoubtedly be watching the results of these games this week during their bye, the only guaranteed strategy to break their seven-year playoff drought is to take care of business in the three remaining divisional games.