This isn’t one of those weeks where a team needs to convince itself the moment is big enough. The Carolina Panthers already know.
With the NFC South on the line against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, veteran A’Shawn Robinson was asked what the week felt like inside the building with a division title at stake, the franchise’s first since 2015. His answer said everything.
“This week leading into this, not a word,” Robinson said. “We all know what’s at stake. We all know what the goal is.”
Carolina Panthers know what Week 18 means and how to get it
The stakes are obvious. A Panthers win clinches the NFC South and punches Carolina’s ticket to the postseason. Lose, and suddenly the math gets complicated, with Tampa Bay needing help elsewhere to stay alive themselves.
“This is win or go home,” Robinson said. “So it’s business.”
Safety Tre’von Moehrig echoed that message: “Everything’s in front of us. We’ve just got to handle business.”
Robinson also captured something Panthers fans have felt building all season… This team has grown into the moment.
“This is what you thrive for,” he said. “December football. Best time of the year. It gets physical. Everyone’s banged up. Who wants it more?”
That question matters, especially against a Buccaneers team dealing with its own issues. Tampa Bay quarterback Baker Mayfield is listed with a right (throwing) shoulder injury, left tackle Tristan Wirfs’ availability is in question, and they have scored 20 points or fewer in five of their last six games.
It all comes down to quarterback Bryce Young.
Sure, he threw for two touchdowns and managed the game effectively in the Week 16 win over Tampa Bay, and he enters the finale having already led four fourth-quarter comebacks and six game-winning drives this season.
But at the same time, his play has been almost absurdly inconsistent all season. For example, just last week, Young managed only 163 passing yards and one touchdown in a 17-20 loss to the New Orleans Saints in Week 15. And just last week, the signal-caller mustered just 54 passing yards and an interception in a 27-10 beatdown from the Seattle Seahawks.
If the Panthers want to make the playoffs, they’re going to need Young to show up, and big time.
The Panthers aren’t pretending the moment is bigger than it is. They’re not shrinking from it either. They understand exactly what a win means: a division title and a chance to keep playing.
As Robinson put it, the only question left is the simplest one of all: Who wants it more?