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The Carolina Panthers are in uncharted territory for the franchise going into the Week 15 game versus the New Orleans Saints.
The Panthers enter the contest in first place in the NFC South and in a playoff spot thanks to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday evening.
For the Panthers to keep their top spot in the division going into Week 16, it's simple: beat the New Orleans Saints in Week 15.
A tie would keep the Panthers atop the division, also, but if the Panthers can win in Week 15, that will set the stage for Carolina to have an opportunity to lock up the division as early as Week 16.
How Panthers can clinch NFC South in Week 16
The Panthers can clinch the division next week by winning on Sunday against the Saints and then beating the Buccaneers in Week 16.
Beating the Bucs after topping the Saints would mean Carolina can't lose the head-to-head tie-breaker, and the Panthers would also lock up the division record tie-breaker, which would come into play if Carolina and Tampa Bay split their meetings.
The Panthers obviously want to wrap things up as soon as possible, but that is especially true given the difficulty of their schedule the rest of the way.
On top of the game against the Saints on Sunday and the two against the Bucs in the last three weeks, Carolina also has a matchup against the Seattle Seahawks.
Meanwhile, Tampa Bay's other opponent is the Miami Dolphins, who are a far easier matchup for the Bucs than Seattle is for Carolina.
It has been quite some time since the Panthers won the division, with Carolina last doing it all the way back in 2015, when the team went on to lose in Super Bowl 50 to the Denver Broncos.
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