The Carolina Panthers couldn't get the job done against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 18. And now, destiny is not in their own hands.
Fans are now bracing for the moment they dreaded. That, of course, is rooting for the bitter rival Atlanta Falcons to beat the New Orleans Saints.
Nobody connected to the Panthers wanted this. Losing their last two games isn't ideal, but they still have hope. If Atlanta beats an in-form New Orleans team in its regular-season finale, Carolina will be NFC South champions for the first time in a decade. Anything less, and the Buccaneers will retain their stranglehold on the division.
That's the long and short of it. And the Panthers only have themselves to blame.
Carolina Panthers need the Falcons to do them a massive favor in Week 18
This is not the same dominant Buccaneers team of old. One can point to the incompetent officiating for significant periods of the contest as a legitimate reason behind the team's failure, but head coach Dave Canales wasn't looking for excuses. He knows that his team did not meet expectations, and despite a spirited fightback at the end, the mountain was too steep to climb.
The nerves were evident early on. The conditions weren't ideal, but everything was a little too tentative. Tampa Bay has been in situations like this before, and they did enough to keep the Panthers at arm's length throughout.
It was a letdown for fans who were dreaming of winning the title and playoff football the right way. The Panthers may stumble into the knockout stage on a tiebreaker if the Falcons win, but the chances of going any further appear remote. The NFC West teams are too strong, and a monumental effort would be needed to keep this even remotely competitive.
The loss signified the season's fortunes. When everything is humming in every phase, the Panthers can mix it with anybody. But when even one unit fails to meet the levels envisaged, it doesn't take long for things to unravel.
Fans will be closely watching developments at the Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Both clubs come into the game in decent form, and New Orleans's absence of so many influential figures only heightens the excitement.
If the Panthers had handled their business over the last two weeks, it would be a different story. That wasn't the case, but the Falcons represent a glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel toward potentially ending their playoff drought.
Rooting for the Falcons will no doubt leave a bitter taste in the mouth, but it is what it is at this point.