4 critical observations from the Panthers success vs. Falcons in Week 10

Carolina Panthers are still in the NFC South race, for now

Incredibly, the Carolina Panthers are somehow still in contention to win the division at 3-7. Purely down to the fact the NFC South is the worst division in the NFL.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers currently sit 1.5 games ahead of Carolina. But they face a tough test against the Seattle Seahawks in Munich, Germany on Sunday.

This leaves the real possibility that once Week 10 is over, the Panthers will find themselves just a game back from the divisional lead. Making that crushing loss in Week 8 at the Atlanta Falcons all the more heartbreaking.

The Panthers are now impressively 3-1 in the division, which is the first time Carolina has won three division games since the 2017 season. It begs this question if this team could win encounters outside the NFC South, they’d probably have a clear advantage.

Carolina still has winnable games left on the schedule, including home games against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Denver Broncos, and Detroit Lions. Within the division, the Panthers have trips to the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay to close out their campaign.

Due to the struggling nature of the NFC South, the Panthers may find themselves playing meaningful football in December. It’s been a long time since fans have enjoyed that and who knows, this alone could be enough for interim head coach Steve Wilks to win the job beyond 2022.