NFL Carolina Panthers

Carolina Panthers’ Week 17 Matchup vs. Atlanta Falcons Now A Must-See Game

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By @calling_allfans

Carolina Panthers vs. Cleveland Browns

Jeremy Brevard-USA TODAY Sports

Sunday’s game between the Carolina Panthers (6-8-1) and Cleveland Browns (7-8) may have featured two former Heisman Trophy-winning quarterbacks in Cam Newton and Johnny Manziel, but this game was all about the Panthers trying to win the NFC South.

Cleveland was officially eliminated from playoff contention when the San Diego Chargers completed their incredible comeback against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night, but Carolina entered Week 16 a half game behind Drew Brees and the New Orleans Saints.

Entering Week 16, there were various scenarios where Ron Rivera’s club would win the NFC South, but probably the most straightforward one was the Panthers winning their final two games and the Saints losing one of their final two games. On Sunday, what materialized was the Saints losing at home to the Atlanta Falcons and the Panthers winning at home over Cleveland.

This sets up a winner-take-all showdown in Week 17 between the Matt Ryan-led Falcons and the Newton-led Panthers. This also means, if you’re keeping score at home, that the winner of this division will be sub-.500 when the regular season ends. You can say what you want about how awful the NFC South is, but it’ll be a must-see game in Week 17. Anything can happen in these types of games, and the same is true for the playoffs.

Most NFL fans probably don’t like the NFC South champion’s chances in the playoffs and don’t believe they should host a playoff game, but this is how the NFL playoffs are currently constructed and once teams are in the playoffs, anything can happen. Both Carolina and Atlanta will be playing for a chance to show what they believe they can do in the playoffs next week.

Justin Patrick is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @calling_allfans, like him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google. You can also email him at [email protected]

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