With a HUGE win over New Orleans and the Falcons’ loss to the Packers last night, the Panthers playoff hopes have been resuscitated. So now the questions is, what does Carolina need to do to repeat as NFC South Champions?
1. Win: That concept is pretty simple. The Panthers will have to win their final three games against Tampa, Cleveland and Atlanta.
2. Get a little help: In addition to winning out, New Orleans will need to lose one of their final three games against the Bears, Falcons or Buccaneers.
“The emphasis has to be don’t look at who we play, don’t look at the end of the race,” Rivera said. “Run the race and play.”
The two keys to the Panthers’ impressive win over the Saints Sunday were their offensive line and defensive line play. If Carolina can perform at the level they did on Sunday in those two areas, there’s a pretty good chance they’ll be hosting a playoff game in January.