The NFC South is upside down.
I’m not even sure what else there is to say. The phrase “left for dead” is probably too kind. Carolina fell to 3-8-1 in embarrassing fashion; the team’s 8th loss came in a game where the Vikings returned two blocked punts for touchdowns, and the Panthers body language read “checked the #*$! out.”
From October 6th to December 6th, the Carolina Panthers did not win a game. Through week 13, the Panthers ranked 28th in points differential. The Panthers may turn out to be the most unlikely playoff team in NFL history.
Meanwhile, the Falcons season looked over in October (and head coach Mike Smith looked was on the hottest of seats). In one of the most embarrassing and head-scratching losses of the season, Atlanta lost in London to the Lions after jumping out to a 21-0 lead. If Atlanta making the playoffs feels like a bit of a surprise, there’s a good reason for that. It’s easy to ignore wins by NFC South teams against other NFC South teams, because muck tends to get conflated. Atlanta is a pitiful 1-9 in games outside of the division this year, with the lone win coming at home against the Cardinals. If Atlanta makes the playoffs, it will be courtesy of a 6-0 NFC South record.
No team has ever gone two full months between wins and made the playoffs. And no team has ever lost more than 7 games (much less 9) outside of the division and made the playoffs. [1]Ironically, Atlanta went 10-0 outside of the division the last time the team made the postseason. So yes, either the Panthers or Falcons will make history this year.
On a more generic level, Carolina would be just the second team in NFL history to fall to five games below .500 and yet still make it to the postseason. The Falcons would become just the fourth team to make it to the playoffs after falling four games under .500. The table below shows the 24 teams in football history to make the playoffs after dropping to three games under .500:
| Team | Year | Lg | Under .500 | Record | Final Record |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati Bengals | 1970 | NFL | -5 | 1-6 | 8-6 |
| San Diego Chargers | 2008 | NFL | -4 | 4-8 | 8-8 |
| San Diego Chargers | 1992 | NFL | -4 | 0-4 | 11-5 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1949 | AAFC | -4 | 1-5-1 | 5-5-2 |
| Washington Redskins | 2012 | NFL | -3 | 3-6 | 10-6 |
| Denver Broncos | 2011 | NFL | -3 | 1-4 | 8-8 |
| Seattle Seahawks | 2010 | NFL | -3 | 6-9 | 7-9 |
| Green Bay Packers | 2004 | NFL | -3 | 1-4 | 10-6 |
| Tennessee Titans | 2002 | NFL | -3 | 1-4 | 11-5 |
| New York Jets | 2002 | NFL | -3 | 1-4 | 9-7 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1998 | NFL | -3 | 0-3 | 10-6 |
| Jacksonville Jaguars | 1996 | NFL | -3 | 3-6 | 9-7 |
| Detroit Lions | 1995 | NFL | -3 | 0-3 | 10-6 |
| San Diego Chargers | 1995 | NFL | -3 | 4-7 | 9-7 |
| New England Patriots | 1994 | NFL | -3 | 3-6 | 10-6 |
| Houston Oilers | 1993 | NFL | -3 | 1-4 | 12-4 |
| New Orleans Saints | 1990 | NFL | -3 | 2-5 | 8-8 |
| Detroit Lions | 1983 | NFL | -3 | 1-4 | 9-7 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1982 | NFL | -3 | 0-3 | 5-4 |
| New York Jets | 1981 | NFL | -3 | 0-3 | 10-5-1 |
| Pittsburgh Steelers | 1976 | NFL | -3 | 1-4 | 10-4 |
| Baltimore Colts | 1975 | NFL | -3 | 1-4 | 10-4 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1963 | AFL | -3 | 0-3-1 | 7-6-1 |
| Buffalo Bills | 1948 | AAFC | -3 | 2-5 | 7-7 |
In other NFC South news, the Panthers win over the Browns gave the NFC South its tenth win outside of the division this year. Meanwhile, the Bucs lost to Green Bay at the same time, closing the book on the NFC South’s nondivision schedule for 2014. The final tally: a 10-29-1 record, putting it in… second place for the worst record by a division since 1970.
References
| ↑1 | Ironically, Atlanta went 10-0 outside of the division the last time the team made the postseason. |
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