Playoffs? Did you say playoffs? Absolutely we did! Believe it or not Carolina Panthers fans, there is still a chance for them to make the playoffs. 

As of Sunday with a victory over the Cleveland Browns, the Panthers are in first place in their division, the NFC South. Next Sunday, Dec. 27, the Panthers will travel down to the Georgia Dome for a winner-take-all game with division rivals the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons are 5-0 in the division thus far, but come Sunday, the Panthers want to change that.            

It has been a very rocky season for the Panthers. Starting off the season winning the opening game, and then three straight... then came the six game losing streak after tying the Cincinnati Bengals... then the traumatic scene when Cam Newton got into a horrific car accident days before a game with division rivals the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. But December has always been the Panthers' since drafting Cam Newton and starting linebacker Luke Kuechly. They are now in a three-game winning streak and hoping to extend that to four on Sunday.              

Panther’s fans were not expecting this turn of events or that Bank of America Stadium could even be home to another playoff game, especially considering the record that the team has at 6-8-1.  But that is simply how the National Football League works. Last year the NFC South had a team at 10-4 not make the playoffs and now the entire division is not over 500 and a team is hosting a wild card playoff game. No one could have ever predicted this scenario.             

Many other teams fans are quite bothered about the fact that any team in our division is going to the playoffs. Other teams may have better records, but that is simply not how the league works. The Panthers are very excited about the situation that they are in, although the road they took to get there was not ideal.             

Coach Ron Rivera spoke after the game against the Browns last Sunday. He was unaware of the score of the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints game at the beginning of the press conference, but had this to say when he became aware of the score: “It all comes down to one game.” 

Cam Newton also spoke about the opportunity they were given, saying: “We need to seize the day. Carpe diem.” 

Everyone in the locker room is excited for the game Sunday and knows exactly what needs to be done to move onto the post-season. All throughout the season the whole team has been supporting each other and knows that they are capable of more than they were putting on the field. Now they are faced with the opportunity to show the fans and the rest of the league that they can again be NFC South Division Champs.          

Panthers fans: tune in Sunday to see your team in a winner-take-all battle with the Falcons. The division championship and playoff contention is on the line.