The Carolina Panthers' loss to the New Orleans Saints tightened the playoff margin for error to almost nothing. And inside the locker room, Pro Bowl defensive lineman Derrick Brown wasn’t interested in ignoring it.
“We’ve still got everything in front of us,” Brown said. “But you’ve got to put this behind us and get back to work.”
That phrase, get back to work, came up again and again, not as deflection, but as reality.
To make matters worse, Carolina had a chance to move a full game ahead of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South after their defeat to the Atlanta Falcons. Instead, the Panthers are back in second place at 7-7, trailing the reigning division champions in the tiebreaker and staring down two head-to-head matchups that now define their season.
Derrick Brown is focused on what comes next as Carolina Panthers' playoff hopes hang in the balance
Brown made it clear there’s no room left for frustration or regret.
“You can’t sit here and suck on this,” he said. “You’ve got to get ready for tomorrow and get ready to play Tampa Bay.”
Head coach Dave Canales has pointed to the leadership inside Carolina’s locker room endlessly as one of the team’s strengths. Brown sits squarely at the center of that group.
After starting the season 1-3, the Panthers clawed their way back into the division race. Regardless of what some may think, this is not because things came easily.
“Nobody’s going to feel sorry for us,” Brown said. “Nothing has come easy for us this season.”
That mindset is being tested again. Carolina still controls its destiny, but the path is steeper. Most likely, the Panthers will need to sweep Tampa Bay to reach the postseason. In between those two games is a matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, while the Buccaneers face the Miami Dolphins.
The “easy way,” as Brown put it, was beating New Orleans and letting the math work itself out. That door is closed.
What’s changed is the urgency. There’s no cushion left. No room for sloppy execution or self-inflicted mistakes. The Panthers have survived adversity plenty of times before, but now the stakes are clear.
“It’s all or nothing this week,” Brown said. “We’ve got to go out there and execute at the highest level for the rest of the season.”
Yes, the Panthers are still alive, and yes, they are still in control of their fate. But as Brown made clear, belief alone just won’t be enough anymore.
It’s time to go back to work.