CAROLINA ADVANCED TO the NFL playoffs on Sunday without stepping onto the field, with Atlanta’s 19-17 victory over New Orleans sending the Panthers through and eliminating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The unusual situation was part of a hectic closing day of the NFL regular season that also included a winner-take-all showdown for a playoff spot with the AFC playoff top seed also up for grabs.
Tampa Bay’s 16-14 win over Carolina on Saturday left both clubs with a 8-9 record in the battle for the NFC South division title and final NFC playoff place.
Atlanta’s win on Sunday saw them also move to 8-9 for the season, forcing a three-way tie and leaving the playoff race to be decided by a head-to-head tie-breaker, which favoured Carolina.
Despite Atlanta’s victory, the Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris after a two-season record of 16-18.
The onside kick that decides the NFC South. Falcons recover. Panthers fans celebrate. pic.twitter.com/K9KmWohQQd
The drama went right down to the wire as New Orleans quarter-back Tyler Shough through a 16-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Bell with 1:11 to play, giving Down native Charlie Smyth a shot at an onside kick and a chance for one last Saints possession.
The Saints could not recover Smyth’s kick and Atlanta ran out the clock for the victory.
Carolina’s next foe, the Rams (12-5), got four touchdown passes from Matthew Stafford in a 37-20 home triumph over Arizona. The Rams lost 31-28 at Carolina in November.
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Elsewhere in Sunday’s early games, AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) could yet finish as the AFC top seed after routing the Tennessee Titans 41-7 to close the season on an eight-game win streak. Trevor Lawrence threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns in the Jaguars’ triumph.
The Jags (13-4) next meet Buffalo (12-5), which ripped the New York Jets 35-8. Josh Allen made his 122nd consecutive start while backup Mitchell Trubisky threw four touchdown passes.
The Houston Texans (12-5) stretched their win streak to nine games and took the AFC fifth seed by defeating Indianapolis 38-30, the Colts closing the season with seven losses in a row. Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a career-high six field goals, including a game clincher from 43 yards with 12 seconds remaining.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett set an NFL record for quarterback sacks in a single season by taking down Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s 20-18 road victory.
Garrett raised his season total to 23 sacks, eclipsing the old record of 23.5 sacks shared by T.J. Watt from 2021 and Michael Strahan from 2001.
Meanwhile, Denver grabbed an NFL playoff top seed and Pittsburgh captured a winner-take-all showdown to reach the post-season on a hectic final Sunday of the campaign.
The Denver Broncos took the AFC top seed, a first-round bye and a home-field playoff edge with a 19-3 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.
“We understood what was at stake and now we sit here with the… one seed, which is pretty good,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.
The Broncos (14-3) have not been a top seed since 2015, the Super Bowl-winning season they last won a playoff game.
Next week’s AFC playoff openers find the Chargers at New England, Buffalo at Jacksonville and Houston at Pittsburgh, which beat Baltimore 26-24 for the AFC North division crown and final playoff spot.
In a fourth-quarter see-saw drama, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers with touchdown passes of 50 and 64 yards while Kenneth Gainwell had a two-yard touchdown run and 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin with 55 seconds remaining, but Chris Boswell missed the extra point, creating the final margin.
Baltimore’s Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal attempt wide right on the last play to hand Pittsburgh the nerve-wracking victory.
“When we had to have points, we went down and scored,” Rodgers said. “It’s pretty emotional.
“We found that something special, which is belief, and I’m proud of our guys the way we responded in the fourth quarter.”
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt made two tackles in returning from a collapsed lung.
“It truly was awesome,” Watt said. “Just tried to fly around and feed off the energy.”
In the NFC, Seattle took the top seed Saturday by beating San Francisco 13-3. NFC openers will find Green Bay at Chicago, and San Francisco at defending champions Philadelphia.
The Chargers (11-6) visit a 14-3 Patriots team that routed Miami 38-10 as Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson each ran for two touchdowns.
The Las Vegas Raiders shared the NFL’s worst record at 3-14 and secured the top pick in April’s NFL Draft despite beating Kansas City 14-12.
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Carolina through to playoffs, Tampa Bay eliminated (and it all hinged on New Orleans and a Charlie Smyth kick)
LAST UPDATE | 5 Jan
CAROLINA ADVANCED TO the NFL playoffs on Sunday without stepping onto the field, with Atlanta’s 19-17 victory over New Orleans sending the Panthers through and eliminating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The unusual situation was part of a hectic closing day of the NFL regular season that also included a winner-take-all showdown for a playoff spot with the AFC playoff top seed also up for grabs.
Tampa Bay’s 16-14 win over Carolina on Saturday left both clubs with a 8-9 record in the battle for the NFC South division title and final NFC playoff place.
Atlanta’s win on Sunday saw them also move to 8-9 for the season, forcing a three-way tie and leaving the playoff race to be decided by a head-to-head tie-breaker, which favoured Carolina.
Despite Atlanta’s victory, the Falcons fired coach Raheem Morris after a two-season record of 16-18.
The drama went right down to the wire as New Orleans quarter-back Tyler Shough through a 16-yard touchdown pass to Ronnie Bell with 1:11 to play, giving Down native Charlie Smyth a shot at an onside kick and a chance for one last Saints possession.
The Saints could not recover Smyth’s kick and Atlanta ran out the clock for the victory.
Carolina’s next foe, the Rams (12-5), got four touchdown passes from Matthew Stafford in a 37-20 home triumph over Arizona. The Rams lost 31-28 at Carolina in November.
Elsewhere in Sunday’s early games, AFC South champion Jacksonville Jaguars (13-4) could yet finish as the AFC top seed after routing the Tennessee Titans 41-7 to close the season on an eight-game win streak. Trevor Lawrence threw for 255 yards and three touchdowns in the Jaguars’ triumph.
The Jags (13-4) next meet Buffalo (12-5), which ripped the New York Jets 35-8. Josh Allen made his 122nd consecutive start while backup Mitchell Trubisky threw four touchdown passes.
The Houston Texans (12-5) stretched their win streak to nine games and took the AFC fifth seed by defeating Indianapolis 38-30, the Colts closing the season with seven losses in a row. Houston’s Ka’imi Fairbairn kicked a career-high six field goals, including a game clincher from 43 yards with 12 seconds remaining.
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett set an NFL record for quarterback sacks in a single season by taking down Cincinnati’s Joe Burrow in the fourth quarter of Cleveland’s 20-18 road victory.
Garrett raised his season total to 23 sacks, eclipsing the old record of 23.5 sacks shared by T.J. Watt from 2021 and Michael Strahan from 2001.
Meanwhile, Denver grabbed an NFL playoff top seed and Pittsburgh captured a winner-take-all showdown to reach the post-season on a hectic final Sunday of the campaign.
The Denver Broncos took the AFC top seed, a first-round bye and a home-field playoff edge with a 19-3 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.
“We understood what was at stake and now we sit here with the… one seed, which is pretty good,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said.
The Broncos (14-3) have not been a top seed since 2015, the Super Bowl-winning season they last won a playoff game.
Next week’s AFC playoff openers find the Chargers at New England, Buffalo at Jacksonville and Houston at Pittsburgh, which beat Baltimore 26-24 for the AFC North division crown and final playoff spot.
In a fourth-quarter see-saw drama, Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson hit Zay Flowers with touchdown passes of 50 and 64 yards while Kenneth Gainwell had a two-yard touchdown run and 42-year-old quarterback Aaron Rodgers threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Calvin Austin with 55 seconds remaining, but Chris Boswell missed the extra point, creating the final margin.
Baltimore’s Tyler Loop missed a 44-yard field goal attempt wide right on the last play to hand Pittsburgh the nerve-wracking victory.
“When we had to have points, we went down and scored,” Rodgers said. “It’s pretty emotional.
“We found that something special, which is belief, and I’m proud of our guys the way we responded in the fourth quarter.”
Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt made two tackles in returning from a collapsed lung.
“It truly was awesome,” Watt said. “Just tried to fly around and feed off the energy.”
In the NFC, Seattle took the top seed Saturday by beating San Francisco 13-3. NFC openers will find Green Bay at Chicago, and San Francisco at defending champions Philadelphia.
The Chargers (11-6) visit a 14-3 Patriots team that routed Miami 38-10 as Rhamondre Stevenson and TreVeyon Henderson each ran for two touchdowns.
The Las Vegas Raiders shared the NFL’s worst record at 3-14 and secured the top pick in April’s NFL Draft despite beating Kansas City 14-12.
– © AFP 2026
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