Turf Show Times
It’s revenge season as the Los Angeles Rams get a rematch against the Carolina Panthers in the Wild Card Round on Saturday. Both teams faced off in Week 13, with the Panthers coming away with a 31-28 upset win on a day when Matthew Stafford turned the ball over three times, and the Rams lost grip of the NFC’s top seed. Good times (insert eye roll).
Ahead of this weekend’s big rematch, I again spoke with Walker Clement from Cat Scratch Reader to get the inside scoop on how Carolina got here in the first place, trust or lack thereof in Dave Canales and Bryce Young, and more.
Q – Carolina has won the NFC South twice in its history with a losing record. It also has a not-so-nice point differential of -69 and has suffered six double-digit losses. Could you explain how on earth this team made the playoffs, specifically concerning the tiebreaker that got them there?
A – The Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers finished in a three-way tie for the NFC South title at 8-9. The Panthers were 3-1 against the Bucs and the Falcons, which topped the Falcons’ and Bucs’ records against the Panthers and each other; therefore, the Carolina Panthers beat out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for the dubious honor of becoming the first team in NFL history to make the playoffs with a losing record more than once. Keep Pounding, as they say.
That, at least, is the math of it all. How on earth did they make it to the playoffs, or even to eight wins, or even to a 1-0 head-to-head record against the Los Angeles Rams? Chaos is the answer. The Panthers have been full-time agents of chaos ever since Cam Newton’s career-ending shoulder injury in 2017. Nothing has made sense since. As one fan recently put it to me, ” I’ve come to expect nothing from this team, good or bad. They never make sense.” The Panthers are, in short, the last team you want to see on your schedule because your own efforts and quality don’t matter. They are either going to lose or they’re going to smack that game with the biggest chaos hammer you’ve ever seen. That is independent of talent, of coaching, of ownership and of year. It’s just who they are at this point.
Q – I’m sure the playoff seeding discussion will be brought up to death again this week, now that the Panthers are in the dance. What is your stance on the NFL’s playoff seeding format, and do you believe it should change, despite its benefitting Carolina this weekend?
A – I am a Panthers fan because I was raised in Charlotte, NC. I remain a Panthers fan because I am OK with a little personal suffering and because I enjoy chaos. I don’t mind the Panthers being in the playoffs as a division winner with a losing record because that invites more chaos into...
