The Carolina Panthers Gaining Steam in the Playoff Race

CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 13: Cam Newton
CHARLOTTE, NC - NOVEMBER 13: Cam Newton /
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The Carolina Panthers win last night put them at 7-3 and in good position to earn a playoff berth.

Things in the NFC are starting to get very interesting as far as the playoff race is concerned. The Carolina Panthers are in the thick of the race and their win against the Miami Dolphins helped their cause.

They improved their record to 7-3 and now sit just a game behind the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South. The two will face off in two weeks which could be a game that determines who wins the division.

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However, it’s playing out that the NFC South could have two playoff teams. The wildcard race appears to be down to a few teams. Carolina is in the mix along with the Seattle Seahawks, Dallas Cowboys and Detroit Lions.

Both the Cowboys and Lions are two games behind the Panthers. Last week’s loss puts the Cowboys in real trouble. It appears unlikely they will catch the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC East and are now falling out of the wildcard race.

At the moment, the Panthers have at least a game lead on each of those teams. They are also coming off a game where they finally found some offensive rhythm. It helps that next week’s game is against the New York Jets who are starting to show their true colors.

The end of the year is shaping up to be very entertaining. It will be fun to watch the Panthers and Saints battle it out for the NFC South title. Things could get even crazier if the Atlanta Falcons start to hit their stride.

There’s still a lot of football to be played, but the Panthers have put themselves in strong position to earn another playoff berth.