Panthers embrace 'championship opportunity' despite poor finish, being big home playoff underdogs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — When Dave Canales noticed an incoming call from Carolina Panthers team owner David Tepper on Sunday, he excitedly picked up his iPhone and said, 'Is this the owner of the NFC South champions?"

Tepper chuckled at the response.

It's been a long time coming for Tepper whose Panthers hadn't been to the playoffs since he purchased the team from owner/founder Jerry Richardson in 2018.

That dubious streak came to an end in the strangest of ways — with the Falcons beating the Saints in a game between two teams out of playoff contention. Atlanta's win gave the Panthers a three-way division tiebreaker over the Buccaneers and Falcons and their first NFC South title since 2015.

It also capped an emotional 24 hours in which the Panthers went from dejected over failing to clinch the NFC South title after losing 16-14 to the Buccaneers on Saturday on a rain-soaked field at Raymond James Stadium to overjoyed about the chance to host a playoff game against the Los Angeles Rams.

It's easy to argue the Panthers backed into the playoffs after losing three of their final four games.

But bottom line is this: Carolina is in the postseason, perhaps a year sooner than anyone in the organization thought realistically possible.

Dan Morgan knew when he took over as general manager it would take a while to build the Panthers into a winner. He has been hesitant to thrust any expectations on such a young team with so many holes to fill on both sides of the ball while the team worked out of a salary cap jam inherited from the previous regime.

What the Panthers do with this second chance is anyone's guess.

They've been highly unpredictable all season, repeatedly winning games they seemingly should have lost (Rams and Packers) while losing games they should have won (the Saints twice). They enter Saturday's game as a double-digit underdog against the Rams, a team they beat 31-28 at Bank of America Stadium on Nov. 30.

That could work in Carolina's favor as there is now a sense this team is playing with house money and won't be under pressure — something they have struggled to handle.

Carolina enters the game with a minus-69 point differential this season, the fourth worst among playoff teams in history behind only the 2004 Rams (minus-73), 2011 Broncos (minus-81) and 2010 Seahawks (minus-97) per NFL research. All three of those teams won their wild-card round game.

Canales will spend the week preaching to his players that records don't matter while reiterating his message about this being another “championship opportunity.”

“We are really excited about being back in Bank of America Stadium one more time," Canales said. "To have one more chance in front of our fans, with the energy they have brought, especially down the stretch this season, it's a very exciting opportunity for us.”

Wide receiver Jalen Coker continues to be a bright spot for the slumping Panthers. He's replaced Xavier Legette as the starting wide receiver opposite rookie Tetairoa McMillan. Coker played 92% of the snaps against Tampa Bay and caught six passes for 47 yards and a touchdown while Legette was on the field just 31% of the time.

Coker, an undrafted rookie in 2024, has 19 catches for 244 yards and three touchdowns over the past five games, while Legette, a first-round pick that same year, has just eight receptions for 77 yards and no TDs during that span.

Canales called it a “celebration of Jalen just continuing to step up into a more starter role."

“It's a big time for Jalen and he has been stepping up and making plays for us,” Canales said. “We looked last week as an opportunity to get him out there. ... just because of the way he has been producing."

The Panthers running game has gone from dominant midseason to dormant down the stretch.

Carolina was limited to 19 yards rushing on 14 carries by Tampa Bay. Rico Dowdle has not surpassed 60 yards rushing in the past eight games after getting 206 yards on the ground against Miami, 183 yards against Dallas and 130 yards against Green Bay earlier in the season.

"It's all of us,” Canales said of the team's struggles. “It's making sure we are running the right style of runs as a group. And it starts up front where we have to get movement. We cannot let people run through the line of scrimmage. Safeties and linebackers cannot run through the line of scrimmage.”

He also said Dowdle and backup Chuba Hubbard need to take what is given to them and sometimes settle for a 3- or 4-yard gains instead of trying to break one.

Derrick Brown continues to show he is one of the best interior defensive lineman in the league, getting 13 tackles in the loss to Tampa Bay.

Canales' decision to call for a flea-flicker on first-and-10 from the Bucs 20 with his team down 16-7 early in the fourth quarter backfired. Dowdle took the handoff from Bryce Young, slipped on the sloppy field and never got the toss back to Young. The Bucs recovered the loose ball and the drive ended.

The Panthers are hoping to get guard Robert Hunt and wide receiver David Moore back for the wild-card game. Hunt has been out since Week 2 with a torn triceps, while Moore has missed more than two months with a shoulder injury. Both would add veteran experience.

31 — Number of players on the Carolina roster who've never been in a playoff game.

The Panthers defense had a huge game in a 31-28 win over the Rams on Nov. 30, forcing three Matthew Stafford turnovers. Carolina did that despite playing without two-time Pro Bowl cornerback Jaycee Horn, who missed the game with a concussion. Horn will be ready to go in the rematch.

___

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL