The Carolina Panthers are NFC South champions for the first time in a decade. They finally ended their playoff drought dating back to 2017. Even though they needed a little bit of help along the way, getting to the dance was all that mattered in the end.
Now, a date with destiny awaits.
The Los Angeles Rams are coming to town again for a fascinating wild-card collision. They are among the Super Bowl favorites, but the Panthers have absolutely nothing to fear. And head coach Dave Canales' squad has the one thing that makes them dangerous.
Freedom.
Carolina Panthers are playing with house money, and that makes them dangerous
They are playing with house money. Nobody expected the Panthers to make it this far in Year 2 of their rebuild. They may have stumbled over the finishing line. Still, Canales knows this represents another championship opportunity for his squad, which is an invaluable learning experience that is going to serve them well moving forward.
"I'm so grateful to have one more opportunity to get back to work where we can get on that grass. We go through the preparation, we have our meetings, and once we're in cleats and once we're on that grass, it's like the next thing becomes really clear, the focus of what we're doing, the walkthroughs, and the opponent. It just becomes all about that, and that's what's so cool about this time of year. It's like, here we go, we get one more opportunity. Let's keep this, let's make this statement true. 1-0 with a chance to win the championship, how long can we keep that statement true?"Dave Canales via Panthers.com
Canales is now about the business at hand. He'll know the size of the task awaiting his squad. He also knows precisely what the Rams will bring to the table.
After all, the Panthers have faced — and indeed, beaten — Sean McVay's squad once already this season.
They are 10.0-point underdogs with sportsbooks across the country, but that won't matter. Everyone who remains in the hunt is 0-0 now. It's win-or-go-home for the juggernauts and those who crept in at the final hurdle. Everyone has a clean slate, and Carolina knows it can beat anybody when everything clicks.
If the Panthers can play with relaxed purpose, relish the moment, and make the little things count, they will be a tough out for the Rams. The atmosphere promises to be electric at Bank of America Stadium, and the extra day of rest — coupled with the Rams having to come cross-country for a Saturday game — is another positive element working in their favor.
NFL history is littered with teams that sneak into the postseason and make a lot of noise. Perhaps the Panthers can add their name to the list this weekend.
Stranger things have happened, that's for sure.