Mercedes-Benz Stadium set the stage for one of the most electrifying games of Week 18, as the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons put on a spectacular show. The matchup ultimately decided who would claim the NFC South, between the Carolina Panthers and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Falconsā 19-17 victory was celebrated all the more in Carolina, as it ensured that the Panthers finally took the division. As a result, Bryce Young and his squad will face the No. 5 seed in the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Baker Mayfield will have to wait another year to make the playoffs. A string of four painful losses down the stretch kept the Buccaneers out of a Wild Card spot.
NFC South final standings after Week 18
Saturday nightās loss for the Panthers in Tampa Bay could have sealed the fate of Dave Canales and his players. However, relief came from Atlanta, where the home team defeated the Saints, ultimately handing the Panthers the top spot in the NFC South.
Bryce Young #9 of the Carolina Panthers.
- Carolina Panthers (8-9)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8-9)
- Atlanta Falcons (8-9)
- New Orleans Saints (6-11)
see also
Stats show Bryce Young continues intriguing late-season trend
Why the Panthers claimed the division
The Carolina Panthers clinched the NFC South thanks to a specific NFL tiebreaker rule for three-way ties. While the Buccaneers held the advantage over the Panthers in a two-way tie (based on a better record against common opponents), the situation changed once the Atlanta Falcons also finished 8-9.
In a three-way tie at the top of a division, the first tiebreaker is head-to-head win percentage among all tied teams. Because the Panthers swept the Falcons during the regular season, they finished with a superior 3-1 record in head-to-head matchups against Tampa Bay and Atlanta combined, handing them the division title and the No. 4 seed.
Whatās next for the Panthers?
After a dramatic turn of events on the final day of the 2025 season, the Carolina Panthers have officially clinched the NFC South titleātheir first since 2015. As the No. 4 seed, the Panthers will now host a home playoff game at Bank of America Stadium during Wild Card Weekend, where they are set to face either the San Francisco 49ers or the Los Angeles Rams.
