The Panthers are singing the Falcons’ praises after their Thursday Night Football victory over the Buccaneers.

Atlanta scored 15 points in the fourth quarter of the prime-time matchup, including the last-second 43-yard field goal by Zane Gonzalez to win the game 29–28. The Falcons were already eliminated from the playoffs before the game, but their victory helps out their fellow NFC South team—the Panthers. And, of course, it’s always sweet to spoil one of their rivals’ chances of making the playoffs.

Tampa Bay has lost five of its last six games to drop to 7–7 on the season. The Bucs held on to the top NFC South spot for a playoff bid until the loss on Thursday night. The 7–6 Panthers now hold the No. 1 divisional spot for the first time this season.

Carolina had the perfect response to the Falcons’ win on social media, posting just minutes after the game ended.

“Can’t wait for Sunday,” the post said.

Carolina will, of course, need to beat the Saints on Sunday in order to retain the top NFC South spot.

No pressure, Panthers.

Tampa Bay and Carolina will face each other in Week 16 and 18, and it seems like it’ll be a real down-to-the-wire NFC South competition in these last few weeks.

More NFL on Sports Illustrated


This article was originally published on www.si.com as Panthers Post Four-Word Message After Bucs' Loss Propels Them Into First Place.

Test hyperlink for boilerplate
Add as preferred source on Google