Week 17: Panthers 38, Buccaneers 10
The details
Top seed in the NFC for the first time in franchise history? Check.
League-best and franchise-record 15 wins? Check.
Quarterback Cam Newton locking up NFL MVP award? Check.
The Carolina Panthers beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 38-10 on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium, completing the best regular season in franchise history.
Did Panthers coach Ron Rivera expect all this going in?
“15-1?” he asked. “Hey, I’m an optimist, but 15-1 is a lot.”
The victory gave Carolina the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs and home-field advantage throughout.
“This is very satisfying,” Rivera said. “But we’ve still got a lot of work to do.” Michael Persinger
They said it
“We didn’t know what was going on other than our game. We’re going to focus in on us. I still don’t know what happened, and that’s fine with me. I wanted to make sure we were focusing on what we needed to do.” – Ron Rivera, who instructed staff not to show Arizona score on stadium scoreboards
“We knew that any opportunity that we had, no matter if someone went down, although we’ve had some big losses we knew we had guys that we’re capable of stepping up. We proved it time and time again.” – Jerricho Cotchery
“We’ve pretty much checked off every box for the team goals that we’ve set out for this year and we’re two wins away from the Super Bowl.” - Panthers tight end Greg Olsen.
The weirdness
The thing that has riled observers and opponents alike has been the Carolina group photo at the end of games. The Panthers have been doing it for years but it caught more national attention last month.
Carolina obviously didn’t do it in Atlanta, but Newton saw the opportunity toward the end of the game to try it again this week.
He started at the end of the Panthers’ sideline opposite all the photographers. He corralled the specialists first – kicker Graham Gano, punter Brad Nortman and long snapper J.J. Jansen – and they got in the picture for the first time ever.
“We felt very honored to be included, very thankful to be a part of the team, “ Jansen said. “It was a pleasant surprise. It was fun.”
Newton moved down the sideline and got more teammates. Finally it was every member of the offense and specialists in the group.
But the last time the Panthers did the photo, Olsen was awkwardly left out. He was late to the party and stood behind the group. He missed the pointing to the left and right, and he missed the dab.
He took a beating on Twitter for days, and he made sure that wouldn’t happen again.
“I told (Newton) I’m going front and center this time,” Olsen said. “I’m having my night without Twitter all over me. I was front and center, big smile on my face. Obviously we were all enjoying it.
“It’s not usually my thing, but I’m all about the team.” Jonathan Jones
Hot takes
Joseph Person: Since that August day in Spartanburg when Kelvin Benjamin fell to the turf clutching his left knee, the Carolina Panthers have had to hear about the players they didn’t have available instead of those still in uniform.
Through a ridiculously hot start that saw Carolina become one of only four teams to open a season 14-0, you still couldn’t read about the Panthers without seeing the phrase “lack of weapons” somewhere in the first few paragraphs.
Cam Newton’s MVP case has been built on the notion that he succeeded despite his supporting cast, as though he were the NFL’s version of LeBron James.
And while Newton did nothing to hurt his MVP candidacy Sunday in a 38-10 dismantling of Tampa Bay, the other 52 guys on the roster showed again they can play a little bit, too.
Scott Fowler: Fifteen and one.
And not close to done.
That’s where the Carolina Panthers are today as they bask in the glow of the best regular season in the franchise’s 21-year history. Carolina found its mojo and throttled Tampa Bay, 38-10, Sunday to ensure a 15-1 record and homefield advantage for the Panthers throughout the NFC playoffs.
The only possible road trip left for this Carolina team? A Feb. 7 date at Super Bowl 50 in Santa Clara, Calif.
As wonderful as all that is for Panthers fans, their team still must win three more games to fulfill the ultimate goal. This is a team very capable of winning Carolina’s first Super Bowl title, but only if the Panthers play like they did Sunday and not as the team did two weekends ago in Atlanta, the team’s lone loss.
No one would have predicted Carolina would win 15 of its 16 regular-season games – not even its hopeful coach, who generally thinks that not only is the glass half full but that it also must be filled with the most perfect batch of iced tea ever created.
“I’m an optimist, “ Panthers coach Ron Rivera said. “But 15-1 is a lot.”
And 18-1 would be even more amazing.
This story was originally published January 8, 2016 at 3:00 AM with the headline "Week 17: Panthers 38, Buccaneers 10."