The Panthers woke up just in time.
A late-game rally Sunday defeated the Buccaneers, and the Panthers clinched a playoff berth. After sleep-walking through most of the game, quarterback Cam Newton and the offense staged a last-ditch touchdown drive to pull out the 22-19 victory in the final minute.
With the NFC South title still attainable, the Panthers (11-4) will show up ready to play against the Falcons (9-6) in the regular-season finale at 4:25 p.m. Sunday at Mercedes-Benz Stadium.
The Panthers need a victory over the Falcons and for the Buccaneers to upset the Saints (11-4) to claim their fourth NFC South title in the past five seasons.
The Falcons are four-point favorites to beat the Panthers, and the Saints are favored to beat the Buccaneers by 7.5 points, according to wagering site pregame.com.
The Panthers needed a 103-yard kickoff return for a touchdown by Damiere Byrd to help defeat the Buccaneers. However, Byrd suffered a knee injury and was placed on injured reserve Tuesday. Newton engineered a nine-play drive and scored on 2-yard run with 35 seconds left.
The Panthers can finish anywhere from the No. 2 seed to the No. 5 seed for the playoffs. The Falcons will clinch a playoff spot with a win (or Falcons and Seahawks losses, or if both tie), but can be only the No. 6 seed.
Amini Silatolu played his second consecutive full game at right guard for the Panthers as he filled in for the injured Trai Turner (concussion). Newton missed an offensive snap (groin injury) for the first time since Week 3 against the Buccaneers. Derek Anderson came in and threw an incomplete pass.
In the first meeting between the teams, the Panthers defeated the Falcons 20-17 on Nov. 5 in Charlotte.
The Falcons gave up a season-high 201 yards rushing against the Panthers in that loss. Newton did most of the damage rushing for 86 yards and a touchdown. Rookie Christian McCaffrey added 66 yards and a touchdown on 15 carries.
Falcons coach Dan Quinn was not pleased with how the defense played Newton in the previous meeting.
“We’ve prepared against this offense and this style for some time,” Quinn said. “Being in the division you’re accustomed to that. When you play a quarterback that has designed quarterback runs that’s definitely an added layer to (the) preparation.”
Quinn felt that team was prepared for Newton’s runs, some of which were designed and others which are read-pass-options (RPOs).
“There were some times when we didn’t execute exactly how we needed to and those were the times where you get caught,” Quinn said. “It was a different form of preparation for him than anybody else we play that runs the ball.”
The Falcons have since fortified their run defense.
The Falcons have held four of their past five opponents to under 100 yards rushing and are giving up 105.2 yards per game, which ranks eighth in the NFL.
Newton has rushed for 695 yards on 128 carries and six touchdowns this season.
Running back Jonathan Stewart, who wasn’t a factor in the previous meeting, has increased his production. He’s rushed for 680 yards and six touchdowns on 198 carries.
McCaffrey is the team’s leading receiver with 75 catches for 611 yards and five touchdowns. He’s also rushed 111 times for 421 yards and two touchdowns.
The Panthers also will have tight end Greg Olsen. He missed the first game with a broken foot. In last week’s game against the Buccaneers, Olsen caught three of his six targets for 27 yards.
On defense, the Panthers will get back linebacker Thomas Davis, who was suspended last week for a hit on a defenseless player against the Packers. The initial punishment was two games.
The Panthers, who gave up 313.5 yards per game (seventh in the league), are led by middle linebacker Luke Kuechly and Davis. They are stingy against the run. They give up 89.9 yards per game, which is sixth in the league.
The Panthers also won the battle up front in the previous meeting, when the Falcons’ offensive line gave up two sacks and eight quarterback hits.
The Panthers have 49 sacks, which ranks third in the league.
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