"CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- It wasn't the way they wanted, but the Carolina Panthers' seven-year playoff drought ended Sunday. Carolina captured the NFC South for the first time since 2015 by virtue of the Atlanta Falcons' 19-17 win over the New Orleans Saints at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, about 250 miles south of Charlotte. The Panthers qualified for postseason play less than 24 hours after a 16-14 loss to the Buccaneers that included several controversial plays on a rain-soaked day in Tampa, Florida."
"The only remaining drama is Carolina's opponent for next weekend's NFC wild card game. If the Los Angeles Rams defeat the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, they will travel to Charlotte, where they lost 31-28 to the Panthers on Nov. 30. If the Rams lose, former Carolina running back Christian McCaffrey and the San Francisco 49ers (12-5) come to Bank of America Stadium. The 49ers defeated the Panthers 20-9 on "Monday Night Football" in Week 12."
The Carolina Panthers clinched the NFC South and ended a seven-year playoff drought after the Atlanta Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints 19-17. Carolina qualified for the postseason less than 24 hours after a 16-14 loss to the Buccaneers in a rainy game that included controversial plays. The Panthers, Falcons and Saints all finished 8-9, and Carolina won the division with a 3-1 record against the other two teams, including 2-0 against Atlanta. The Panthers' wild-card opponent will be either the Los Angeles Rams or the San Francisco 49ers, depending on the Rams-Cardinals result.
Read at ESPN.com
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