Bucs and Panthers Open Two-Game Duel to Decide the NFC South

Overview

• Both teams enter Week 16 at 7-7, and the division crown represents their only realistic path to the postseason as wild-card routes are off the table.
• These clubs have not met this season and will play twice over the final three weeks, starting in Charlotte in Week 16 and finishing in Tampa in Week 18.
• Tampa Bay holds first place on the common-games tiebreaker, and a split combined with both teams winning in Week 17 would give the Buccaneers the division.
• Panthers scenarios outlined by reports include clinching the NFC South with a Week 16 win, with sweeping Tampa Bay guaranteeing a berth and split outcomes hinging on Dolphins and Seahawks results.
• Tampa Bay has stumbled after a 6-2 start, dropping five of its last six, and was listed as a three-point road favorite for the Week 16 matchup.