Panthers earn playoff bye

Carolina Panthers clinch the first round bye

Sunday was a great day in Carolina at Bank of America Stadium for the Carolina Panthers.

The Panthers defeated the Atlanta Falcons, 38-0, to move to 13-0 on the season.

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But the game was bigger than that.

As mentioned, there were several key games the Panthers had to watch out for to see if they could clinch the first round bye, but instead of putting the outcome in the hands of the other teams, the Panthers took matters into their own hands.

After already clinching the NFC South Divisional title, the win versus the Falcons gave the Panthers a first round playoff bye. The Panthers could have waited to see the outcome of the Green Bay Packers versus the Dallas Cowboys game, but did not need to.

But, how did the Packers do anyway?  Well, at first it appeared as if the Dallas Cowboys would take care of business what the Panthers were looking for, as they trailed by seven points midway through the third quarter.

Well, that is when the Packers run game came into play and took over the game.  Eddie Lacy and James Starks each rushed for a touchdown in the fourth quarter to seal the victory, 28-7.

The other game the Panthers had to watch was their divisional opponents, as the New Orleans Saints

Dec 13, 2015; Tampa, FL, USA; New Orleans Saints quarterback Drew Brees (9) looks to pass during the second half against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium. The New Orleans Saints won 24-17. Mandatory Credit: Reinhold Matay-USA TODAY Sports

traveled to Tampa Bay to take on the Buccaneers.

After winning last week, the Bucs moved to.500 on the season and if they would have won this week, they would stay in the hunt for a wild card spot.

Drew Brees had 312 yards passing, threw two touchdown passes and led the Saints to a 24-17 victory.

The win ended the 4-game losing streak for the Saints and did seriously dent the Bucs playoff chances.

Again though, none of this mattered, as the Panthers won, taking the opportunity to have the first round bye into their own hands rather than wait for someone else.