Does anyone want to win the NFC South?
The Buccaneers lost to the Dolphins on Sunday, and the Panthers lost to the Seahawks. Next week, the 7-9 Bucs host the 8-8 Panthers, with the division title on the line.
If the Bucs beat the Panthers, both teams would be 8-9. The Buccaneers would win the tiebreaker, based on common games.
But there’s a caveat. A big one. The Falcons. They’re 6-9. If they win the last two (Rams, Saints) and if the Bucs beat the Panthers, there would be a three-way tie atop the division. (The last three-way tie happened in 2011, when the Chargers, Broncos, and Raiders finished 8-8. Denver won the division.)
In a three-way tiebreaker, the Panthers would win the division by virtue of the best record in the three-way round robin. By virtue of a sweep of the Falcons, the Panthers would be 3-1, and the Bucs would be 2-2.
So the Panthers can lose to the Bucs and win the division, if the Falcons win out. Which will make the Panthers into massive Rams fans on Monday night.
