If the Panthers win or tie against the Buccaneers on Saturday, Carolina wins the NFC South and hosts a playoff game next weekend. That’s not the only path to the playoffs for the Panthers, but it’s the only one head coach Dave Canales wants to think about.
Canales said he knows the NFL playoff scenarios, which also put the Panthers in the playoffs if the Falcons beat the Saints, even if the Panthers lose. Canales says he and his players are treating that scenario as irrelevant to their task this week.
“We’re aware of all those scenarios and it’s a pretty simple path. We’ve got to handle business and win the game, and that’s got to be our focus, first and foremost, against a team I really respect,” Canales said.
And if the Panthers lose?
“All the other scenarios will play out how they will,” Canales said.
There’s no scenario on which Canales wants to spend his Sunday nervously watching the Falcons play the Saints. Canales wants to spend his Sunday preparing preparation for a home playoff game, which he hopes the Panthers will earn on Saturday.
