The Carolina Panthers went more than two months between wins this season and the Atlanta Falcons were close behind, with a 52-day stretch between victories.
Their combined 12-17-1 record aside, either the Panthers or Falcons are headed to the playoffs, with this weekend’s game in Atlanta deciding the National Football Conference (NFC) South Division title. It marks just the second time in National Football League (NFL) history that a team with a losing record will qualify for the playoffs in a non-strike-shortened season.
The Panthers-Falcons matchup is one of 10 in the NFL’s 16-game Week 17 schedule that has playoff implications.
Photo: USA Today
“One game to get into the dance,” said Falcons cornerback Robert McClain, whose interception with about two-and-a-half minutes left helped seal Atlanta’s win in New Orleans last week. “You can’t ask for anything better than that. For us, the playoffs are already starting. It’s win or go home.”
The only other team to make the playoffs with a losing record was the 2010 Seattle Seahawks, at 7-9.
The Panthers enter this weekend’s game with a 6-8-1 record after three straight wins, while the Falcons are 6-9 and listed as three-and-a-half-point favorites, according to Las Vegas oddsmakers. Atlanta won at Carolina 19-17 on Nov. 16 and is 5-0 against division opponents this season.
Photo: USA Today
Atlanta opened 2-1 and then lost five in a row, a run that extended from the end of September to the second week of November. Carolina, after a 3-2 start, went 0-6-1 over a 63-day stretch and are now seeking to become the first team to repeat as NFC South champions.
“The other teams in our division helped us out by continuing to lose, and now we’re in position to win the division,” Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis said. “Throw out the record, throw out what has happened this season. We have a chance to do something special.”
Entering the final week of the season, one of four division titles in the NFC has been decided, with the Dallas Cowboys winning the East.
The Green Bay Packers (11-4) host the Detroit Lions (11-4) tomorrow, with the winner claiming the NFC North title. Both clubs have already clinched playoff berths, so the loser will get one of the two wild-card spots for non-division winners.
The Packers, who have a 7-0 record at Lambeau Field this season, are seven-and-a-half-point favorites. The Lions have lost 23 games in a row in Green Bay dating back to 1991.
“Playing in a playoff-type game is exactly how you want to go into” the post-season, Packers coach Mike McCarthy said.
Seattle and Arizona are tied atop the NFC West with 11-4 records, yet the Seahawks hold the tiebreaker advantage after beating the Cardinals twice. Seattle can lock up the division title and a first-round bye with a home win against the St Louis Rams (6-9), against whom they are 11-and-a-half-point favorites.
Arizona, who have already clinched a playoff berth, need a loss by Seattle and a win at the San Francisco 49ers (7-8) to take the division and get a first-round bye. The Cardinals, losers of three of their past five games since quarterback Carson Palmer had a season-ending knee injury, are six-point underdogs in San Francisco.
Three of the four division winners have been decided in the American Football Conference (AFC): the New England Patriots (East), Denver Broncos (West) and Indianapolis Colts (South).
The AFC North division title comes down to the season finale between the Cincinnati Bengals (10-4-1) and Steelers (10-5) in Pittsburgh. Both teams have clinched playoff spots.
The Bengals have won five of their past six games, including four on the road. Their lone loss during that stretch came at home against the Steelers, 42-21 three weeks ago. The Steelers, who are riding a three-game winning streak, are favored by three-and-a-half points as they seek a first division crown since 2010.
“We haven’t had one in a while,” Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger said. “We would like to get it back.”
Four other teams are battling for the final wild-card berth in the AFC.
The San Diego Chargers (9-6) control their fate, needing a win at Kansas City (8-7) as two-and-a-half-point underdogs to make the playoffs.
The Chiefs could make the post-season with a win and losses by both Baltimore and Houston.
The Ravens (9-6) need a home win against the Cleveland Browns and a loss by the Chargers to earn the AFC’s final wild-card spot. The Texans (8-7) need the most help, with their playoff chances hinging on a home win against the Jacksonville Jaguars and losses by San Diego and Baltimore.
While the Panthers and Falcons square off this weekend to get into the playoffs with a losing record, the Philadelphia Eagles will be left out of the post-season even if they beat the New York Giants to finish at 10-6. The Eagles have lost three straight games after a 9-3 start.
The NFL had considered expanding the playoffs to 14 teams from 12 this season and commissioner Roger Goodell has said the league may add a seventh post-season team in each conference by next season.
“We didn’t do enough,” Eagles coach Chip Kelly said. “We didn’t win enough games against the right opponents to put ourselves in the playoffs. We knew the rules of engagement before the season started. To sit here after it is over and say: ‘Let’s change the rules so this can happen,’ that’s just the way it is.”
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