All hell could break loose in the NFC South.
With teams refusing to pull away in the division, a wild tiebreaker situation is very much in play in Week 18.
With both the Panthers and Buccaneers losing Sunday, it appeared for a little over 24 hours that the NFC South would come down to a matchup between the two teams during the final weekend of the regular season.
That was until the Falcons threw a wrench into things.
On Monday night, Atlanta upset the Super Bowl-contending Rams, setting up one of the weirdest tiebreaker scenarios in recent NFL history.
At 8-8, Carolina controls its own destiny, just needing a win at Tampa Bay on Saturday to win its first division title since 2015 with the best record in the division.
Had the Falcons lost on Monday, the Bucs, who are 7-9 heading into the weekend, could’ve won the division with a win over the Panthers through a tiebreaker.
But now, they’ll need some help.
If the Falcons can beat the Saints at home, a Bucs win wouldn’t matter at all.
That scenario would force a three-way tie atop the division, meaning the tiebreaker would be a head-to-head among the three teams.
In that situation, the Panthers would win the NFC South, having gone 3-1 against the Buccaneers and Falcons, while the latter two teams split their games, 2-2, versus their fellow 8-9 divisional foes.
All in all, the Panthers are in the driver’s seat despite limping toward the end of the regular season.
Whether the Panthers or the Bucs win the division, a playoff game will be played in Carolina or Tampa Bay during the wild-card round.
The winner of the division will host either the 49ers, Seahawks or Rams, depending on how it shakes out between those three teams this weekend.
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