Panthers could have wrapped up the NFC South title. Now they likely need a win in Week 18

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) — Carolina guard Austin Corbett didn't realize just how big of an opportunity the Panthers had squandered until coach Dave Canales spoke to the team in the locker room following Sunday's 27-10 loss to the Seattle Seahawks.

That's when Corbett found out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers had lost to the Miami Dolphins at the same time the Panthers fell short.

All he could do was shake his head.

“It was like, ‘Shoot, we missed another one,’” Corbett said.

Because the Bucs lost, a win by the Panthers would have given them the NFC South title and ended a seven-year playoff drought.

Instead, Carolina (8-8) will head to Tampa Bay in Week 18 likely needing a victory to capture its first NFC South title since 2015. Carolina could also get in with a loss if Atlanta were to win its final two games, against the Los Angeles Rams and New Orleans Saints.

Canales had asked the Bank of America Stadium scoreboard operators to not show the score of the Tampa Bay-Miami game because he wanted his team to focus on the Seahawks.

In the end, what happened in South Florida didn't matter.

The Seahawks turned two third-quarter takeaways into 14 points and outscored the Panthers 24-7 in the second half.

“Now he have to get over the fact that we missed an opportunity with the Bucs losing that game," Canales said.

One thing the Panthers have shown this season is resiliency.

It started in early November when Carolina bounced back from a 40-9 drubbing at home to the Bills with a win at Lambeau Field against the Packers. The Panthers returned home the following week and lost to the last-place Saints, only to rebound with a 30-27 win the following week at Atlanta.

An ugly Monday night loss at San Francisco followed, but again the Panthers returned with a strong performance and stunned the visiting Rams 30-27.

After their bye, the Panthers lost to the Saints for a second time, giving away a valuable division tiebreaker. They followed that up with a 23-20 win over Tampa Bay last weekend.

“We keep doing this to ourselves,” Corbett said of the win-loss cycle. “We are making it hard on ourselves, winning pretty and then losing ugly.”

Canales knows he has a young team and said it's simply “who we are."

Quarterback Bryce Young was upbeat after Sunday's loss, confident the Panthers will bounce back and beat the Buccaneers for the second time in three weeks.

“That’s the goal,” Young said. “We’re not looking at the past. There’s nothing in this league that entitles you to the next (win). Once we have this 24 (hours), we’re going to go and grow. The goal is always to go 1-0. That’ll be the same and it’ll start with having the best week of practice that we can have. So we are excited for that process.”

Canales said his team has been good at “flushing” losses.

“The guys will be used to having this championship mindset,” Canales said. “The way I see it is we’ve been playing playoff football for over a month and every single one of these games has mattered. That’s the approach that we have to take. It heightens the focus and the guys come in ready to work.”

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Carolina Panthers quarterback Bryce Young passes against the Seattle Seahawks during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

Carolina Panthers tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders is treated on the field during the first half of an NFL football game against the Seattle Seahawks, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Carolina Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard pushes off Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones IV during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Jacob Kupferman)

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon breaks up a pass intended for Carolina Panthers wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Charlotte, N.C. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. (AP) — Josh Allen sailed a 2-point conversion attempt wide of open receiver Khalil Shakir in the back of the end zone with 5 seconds remaining, and the Philadelphia Eagles hung on for a 13-12 win over the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

Dallas Goedert caught a 1-yard touchdown pass, Jake Elliott hit field goals of 28 and 47 yards, and the Super Bowl champion Eagles barely avoided squandering a 13-0 fourth-quarter lead. Linebacker Jalyx Hunt had two of Philadelphia's four sacks and a team-leading three quarterback hits.

Defensive tackle Jalen Carter made a major contribution in his return after missing three games with a injuries to both shoulders. Carter got his hand up to block Michael Badgley's extra-point attempt after Allen's 2-yard touchdown run with 5:11 left.

Allen scored on a tush push on fourth-and-goal to pull the Bills within one point with 5 seconds remaining. The Bills thought they had a touchdown one play earlier, but Dawson Knox was ruled short of the goal line after a replay review.

Rather than playing for overtime, coach Sean McDermott opted to go for 2. Allen dropped back in the pocket and had a defender in his face when he let loose a pass that was about a foot wide of Shakir. The Bills then tried an onside kick that Goedert recovered.

The NFC East champion Eagles (11-5) are assured of at least the conference’s third seed entering the playoffs.

Buffalo (11-5), which clinched a playoff berth last week, dropped to the No. 7 seed in the AFC. New England clinched its first AFC East title since 2019 with the Bills' loss.

A matchup between Super Bowl contenders and two of the NFL’s top running backs turned into a defensive struggle played in a persistent drizzle.

The Bills were scoreless through three quarters before Allen — who's already led three fourth-quarter rallies this season — tried to mount another incredible comeback.

Allen went 16 of 25 for 172 yards in the second half and finished 23 of 35 for 262 yards. With his two rushing scores, the 29-year-old Allen increased his career total to 301 (passing, rushing, receiving) and became the first player to reach 300 before turning 30.

Hurts threw a 1-yard TD pass to Goedert with 35 seconds left in the first quarter. That was set up when Allen lost a fumble, with Jihaad Campbell recovering at Buffalo’s 45.

Goedert’s touchdown was his team-leading 11th of the season and set the single-season team record for tight ends -- one more than Pete Retzlaff had in 1965.

Hurts finished 13 of 27 for 110 yards, while Saquon Barkley was limited to 68 yards rushing on 19 carries.

Before the fourth quarter, the Bills' best scoring chance ended when Allen was stopped just short of the goal line while attempting to convert a fourth-and-goal from the 3 late in the third.

Allen had difficulty finding open receivers.

That was particularly evident in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter with Buffalo facing third-and-8 at Philadelphia’s 27. Allen rolled to his left trying to buy time, then reversed his field to escape pressure before Hunt brought him down for a 19-yard loss. Allen slammed the ball to the turf several times before getting up.

The Eagles' offense, meantime, evaporated in the second half. Not including its game-closing kneel-down, Philadelphia combined for one first down and 17 yards of offense on five second-half possessions — all ending with punts.

Eagles: LB Nakobe Dean (hamstring) did not play.

Bills: LB Terrel Bernard did not return after hurting his calf in the first half. ... Defensive tackles DaQuan Jones (calf) and Jordan Phillips (ankle) and safety Jordan Poyer (hamstring) did not play. TE Dalton Kincaid missed his fourth of seven games with a nagging knee injury.

Eagles: Host Washington next weekend.

Bills: Host the New York Jets next weekend.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Philadelphia Eagles' Jalen Hurts, right, scrambles past Buffalo Bills' Greg Rousseau during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Philadelphia Eagles' Saquon Barkley, left, is tackled by Buffalo Bills' Cam Lewis, center, and Cole Bishop during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen (17) is sacked by Philadelphia Eagles' Jalyx Hunt (58) during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

Philadelphia Eagles' Dallas Goedert (88) and Fred Johnson (74) celebrate after a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game against the Buffalo Bills, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Adrian Kraus)

Buffalo Bills' Josh Allen (17) scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Philadelphia Eagles, Sunday, Dec. 28, 2025, in Buffalo, N.Y. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)