This almost wraps up the NFC side of the playoff picture. The Seattle Seahawks locked up the first seed on Saturday with a 13-3 win over the 49ers and the Panthers are the last team to join the playoff race.

The 12-5 Los Angeles Rams beat the 3-14 Arizona Cardinals this afternoon to secure the fifth seed in the 2025 NFL Playoffs and a trip to Charlotte, North Carolina to play the fourth seed, 8-9 Carolina Panthers.

Sunday's win by the Atlanta Falcons, a 19-17 triumph over the New Orleans Saints, officially clinched the Panthers their first playoff berth since 2017 and their first division title since 2015. The Atlanta victory helped make up for Carolina's deflating result from last night, a 16-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Carolina Panthers head coach Dave Canales couldn’t suppress his excitement after earning a playoff berth: “I’m just so excited for Panthers fans everywhere.”

The Panthers won the NFC South in 2025. We already know their 2026 opponents and we’ll take an early look at the slate.

Atlanta Falcons tight end Kyle Pitts secures an onside kick recovery to seal the Falcons Week 18 win against the New Orleans Saints and send the Carolina Panthers to the NFL playoffs.

The Las Vegas Raiders could take a chance on Carolina Panthers defensive coordinator Ejiro Evero to replace Pete Carroll.

The Carolina Panthers signed Rico Dowdle to be the backup to Chuba Hubbard, but he eventually got the job after Hubbard got hurt and never really gave it back. But since he's on a one-year deal, it seemed like a short-term situation.