Panthers Find Themselves in the NFC South Mix - and Know the Work’s Just Beginning
CHARLOTTE, N.C. - It’s not every day the Carolina Panthers find themselves scoreboard watching in December. But when you’re tied for first place in your division and coming off a bye, that’s exactly what happens - especially when the Saints and Bucs are squaring off with direct implications for your playoff hopes.
For Panthers players and coaches, Sunday’s Saints-Buccaneers game wasn’t just background noise. It was must-see TV.
Offensive lineman Austin Corbett had NFL RedZone rolling on his big screen while tracking the Saints-Bucs game on his phone. Head coach Dave Canales?
He admits he got a little too invested.
“I’ve gotta be honest, I got a little emotionally involved in the game at times,” Canales said. “It impacts all of us in this division.”
That’s putting it mildly. When Saints rookie quarterback Tyler Shough led a gritty, rain-soaked 24-20 win in Tampa, it suddenly thrust the Panthers into a share of the NFC South lead - something that hasn’t happened this late in the season since the Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly era.
Corbett was all-in on the Saints for the day. “Quarterback Tyler, I was a big fan yesterday,” he said with a grin.
“He had a couple big runs for ‘em. It was awesome.”
Even players who didn’t catch the game live were tuned in to the implications. Wide receiver Xavier Legette found out the result during the Texans-Chiefs Sunday night broadcast and immediately did the math.
“The first thought came to my head was, like, where does that place us?” he said.
The answer: tied atop the division at 7-6, with the Bucs. And for a franchise that hasn’t sniffed the playoffs since 2017 - a seven-year drought that’s tied with Atlanta for the second-longest active skid in the NFL - that’s a big deal. The Jets, for reference, are still stuck in a 15-year postseason desert.
But here’s the kicker: Carolina controls its own destiny. If the Panthers sweep the Bucs in their two remaining matchups - Week 16 in Charlotte, Week 18 in Tampa - they’ll win the NFC South, regardless of what happens in their other two games (at New Orleans, vs.
Seattle). That’s because the head-to-head tiebreaker goes their way.
Still, there’s a lot of football left, and the team knows it.
“We’ve just gotta do it,” Legette said. “We’ve got four opportunities, and we’ve gotta stay into the play on all four of ‘em. Because the same way how we’re in it, we can be out of it.”
Cornerback Mike Jackson echoed that sentiment. “Being tied for first, yeah, it’s cool,” he said.
“But still gotta play the Saints, still gotta play the Bucs twice. To me, it don’t really mean much.”
That kind of grounded mindset is important, especially with a tricky trip to New Orleans up next. And if anyone in the building needs a reminder of how dangerous the Saints can be, they only need to look back to Week 10.
That was the game right after Carolina stunned the Packers at Lambeau. Riding high, the Panthers came out flat and got punched in the mouth by New Orleans, losing 17-7 at home.
They scored on their opening drive - and then nothing. The offense stalled out, managing just 175 total yards, the second-lowest output in Canales’ two years calling plays.
Bryce Young had a rough day, throwing for just 124 yards. Only one completion went for more than 13 yards - a 26-yarder to rookie Tetairoa McMillan. Meanwhile, Shough, making just his second career start, lit up the Panthers’ secondary for 282 yards, including chunk plays of 62, 52, 30, and 26 yards.
“He’s been doing his thing,” safety Trevon Moehrig said of Shough. “A young guy, just making plays.
He’s finding a way to get his team on board and finding ways to win. That’s the biggest thing I took away from that game, and even the game against us.”
That Week 10 loss also sparked some internal reflection. Left tackle Ikem Ekwonu and rookie edge rusher Nic Scourton both questioned the team’s energy and focus during the lead-up to that game. Scourton described the vibe at practice as “lackadaisical” and wondered if the team had gotten “too big-headed” after the Lambeau win.
This week, Scourton wasn’t looking back. “We’re excited to go 1-0 and play the Saints this week,” he said.
And this time, they’ll be closer to full strength. Several key starters are working their way back from injury or suspension.
Moehrig is back. Cornerback Jaycee Horn and linebacker Claudin Cherelus are progressing through the concussion protocol.
Linebacker Christian Rozeboom and center Cade Mays returned to the practice field after missing time before the bye.
With reinforcements on the way and a division title within reach, the Panthers are approaching this stretch with a sense of urgency - and maturity.
“There’s a moment that hasn’t been around this place since I’ve been here,” Corbett said. “We’re in a tie for first.
We can go get this, and it’s all in our hands. We don’t have to rely on anything else.
We get to go control our destiny.”
That’s the kind of energy you want in December - not just excitement, but focus. The Panthers know what’s at stake.
And for the first time in a long time, they’re not just watching the playoff race. They’re in it.