Why are Panthers in the playoffs? Explaining 2025 standings that led to 8-9 team hosting a wild-card game

Teddy Ricketson

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Why are Panthers in the playoffs? Explaining 2025 standings that led to 8-9 team hosting a wild-card game image

The Carolina Panthers have made history. They became the first team to make the NFL playoffs with a losing record twice. 

The Panthers finished the 2025 season with an 8-9 record, but thanks to tiebreakers being in their favor over the 8-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and 8-9 Atlanta Falcons, Carolina is playoff-bound. 

The last time the Panthers made the playoffs was in 2014 after winning the NFC South with a 7-8-1 record. That year, Carolina beat the Arizona Cardinals 27-16, before losing to the Seattle Seahawks 31-17 in the Divisional Round. This year, the Panthers will welcome the Los Angeles Rams back to Charlotte, NC, for a wild-card matchup. Carolina beat Los Angeles in Week 13. 

Here is more on how the Panthers made the 2026 NFL playoffs despite an 8-9 losing record. 

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Why are Panthers in the playoffs at 8-9?

The Panthers are in the playoffs with a losing record for the second time in their history. Carolina made the 2014 postseason after going 7-8-1 in the regular season.

Despite the 8-9 record, the Panthers benefited from poor results from their division mates. The Buccaneers and the Falcons also finished 8-9, and this long jam at the top of the division came down to tiebreakers, which favored Carolina. 

Thus, the Panthers are the NFC South champions and received an automatic bid into the postseason. 

NFC South standings 2025

Here is a look at how the NFC South finished at the end of the regular season. 

TeamRecord
Carolina Panthers8-9
Tampa Bay Buccaneers8-9
Atlanta Falcons8-9
New Orleans Saints6-11

The race for the NFC South came down to Week 18. The Panthers faced the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, while the Atlanta Falcons took on the New Orleans Saints. 

The Buccaneers beat the Panthers to tie both franchises at 8-9, but the tiebreaker favored Tampa Bay. The Falcons then beat the Saints on the final day of the regular season to move into a three-way tie for first place. Atlanta had been eliminated from playoff contention for a month, but a late-season surge made it so they still played a huge role in deciding the division.

The Falcons forced a three-way tie, which changed the tiebreaker results. Per the NFL, the first tiebreaker when breaking a tie within a division between three teams is head-to-head. Carolina went 2-0 against Atlanta and 1-1 against Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers went 1-1 against both the Falcons and the Panthers. Atlanta went 0-2 against Carolina and 1-1 against Tampa Bay. 

So, the head-to-head results favored the Panthers 3-1 total record against the Buccaneers and Falcons, compared to the Buccaneers' 2-2 record against both Atlanta and Carolina. Thus, the Panthers finished first in the division, the Buccaneers finished second, and the Falcons finished third. 

Carolina winning the division guaranteed them not only a playoff berth, but a top-four seed in the NFC bracket. The Panthers had a worse record than the other three division winners, so they earned the No. 4 seed. 

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Why do the Panthers have a home game?

Even though Carolina has a losing 8-9 record, the Panthers still won their division. This guaranteed them a top-four seed in the NFC playoff bracket. So, even though the three wild-card teams all have better records than Carolina, the Panthers were the No. 4 seed, which brings home-field advantage at least in the wild-card round. 

There has been a recent push from NFL teams at owners' meetings to change how the playoffs are seeded, with the main point being that seeds should be assigned based on overall record, not whether you won a division. An 8-9 team hosting a playoff game will likely be the latest example that teams in favor of a change will turn to. 

Panthers point differential

Carolina had the worst point differential in the NFL this season. The Panthers had a -69 point differential, scoring 311 points but allowing 380.

For comparison's sake, the Seattle Seahawks won the NFC West and had a point differential of +191, meaning they scored 191 more points than they allowed. 

How Panthers beat Rams in Week 13

Carolina has had one of the most confusing seasons in recent memory. The Panthers beat the Green Bay Packers and the Los Angeles Rams, who combined for a 21-12-1 record, but lost both meetings to the 6-11 Saints. 

Carolina beating Los Angeles was one of the franchise's best wins in recent memory. The Panthers won the game 31-28 at home in Week 13. The Rams scored first, but the Panthers responded with a 35-yard touchdown from quarterback Bryce Young to running back Chuba Hubbard. 

Los Angeles QB Matthew Stafford came into the game holding the active record for most touchdown passes without an interception with 28. Stafford threw a pick-six late in the first quarter. 

The game was neck-and-neck throughout. Los Angeles took a four-point lead with 10 minutes to go in the game thanks to a seven-yard rush by Kyren Williams. Carolina responded with a 43-yard touchdown from rookie wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan to go up three with 6:34 remaining. 

With 2:34 left in regulation, Los Angeles was on the Carolina 22-yard line. Stafford was sacked for a nine-yard loss and the Panthers recovered. Carolina's offense did just enough to maintain possession through the remainder of the game, escaping with the three-point upset win. 

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