The 2025 Carolina Panthers are making history. And I don’t mean the good kind.
Via NBC Sports research, the Panthers are the fifth team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a losing record in a non-strike-shortened season.
Carolina won the NFC South, winning eight and losing nine. Atlanta’s Week 18 win over the Saints triggered a three-way tie between the Falcons, Panthers, and Buccaneers at 8-9. The Panthers won the tiebreaker with the best record in the six-game round-robin among the three teams.
Other teams to make the playoffs despite a losing record were the 2022 Buccaneers (8-9), the 2020 Washington Football Team (7-9), the 2014 Panthers (7-8-1), and the 2010 Seahawks (7-9). Those teams were 2-2 in the wild-card round; the 2010 Seahawks beat the Saints in the Beastquake game, and the 2014 Panthers beat the Cardinals.
The Panthers are 10.5-point underdogs at home on Saturday against the Rams. During the regular season, the Panthers beat the Rams in Charlotte, despite being 9.5-point underdogs.
