Panthers Miss Chance To Clinch Nfc South In Loss To Seahawks, Set Up Potential Winner-take-all Clash With Bucs In Week 18

With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing on Sunday, the Carolina Panthers had a chance to lock up the NFC South title and a playoff spot. 

But a ball-hawking Seattle Seahawks defense ensured that the NFC South remains up for grabs. 

The Panthers turned the ball over on consecutive possessions in their own territory to open the second half Sunday in Charlotte, and the Seahawks converted each of those turnovers into touchdowns to take control of a 27-10 Seattle win. 

NFC playoff implications of Sunday's results

With the win, the Seahawks remain in control of the NFC West and No. 1 seed in the NFC. If the San Francisco 49ers beat the Chicago Bears Sunday night, they'll set up a winner-take-all Week 18 game for the division and the No. 1 seed in the playoffs. 

The NFC South and the division's lone playoff berth, meanwhile, could come down to next week's game between the Panthers and Buccaneers. The Bucs lost to the Dolphins at the same time the Panthers played the Seahawks, opening the door for Carolina to clinch the division.

But Carolina couldn't capitalize, and the Panthers will travel to Tampa next week for the potential winner-take-all game. The Panthers could also clinch in a loss if the Falcons win their final two remaining games against the Rams and Saints.

No scoreboard watching in Charlotte

The stakes were clear coming into Sunday's games. A Panthers win and a Bucs loss would make the Panthers NFC South champions. Any other non-tie scenario would leave the division up for grabs.

With those stakes established, the Panthers ensured that there would be no scoreboard watching at Bank of America Stadium. Per reports from the press box, the Panthers did not display the Bucs-Dolphins score alongside the rest of Sunday's early games on stadium scoreboards.

And the Panthers looked in line to take control of an upset bid in the third quarter of Sunday's game.

With the game tied at 3-3 in the third quarter, Seahawks quarterback Sam Darnold threw an interception that Panthers cornerback Mike Jackson secured in the back of the end zone.

The pick thwarted a would-be Seahawks scoring drive to open the second half and gave the Panthers a chance to seize control of the game. 

But disaster struck for the Panthers on the very next snap.

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Turnovers doom Panthers

DeMarcus Lawrence stripped running back Chuba Hubbard of the ball on a run and picked the ball up for a fumble recovery. 

Lawrence was ruled down by contact upon review after initially appearing to take the ball in for a defensive touchdown. But Seattle's offense capitalized six plays later with a Zach Charbonnet touchdown run for a 10-3 lead. 

Then, three snaps later, disaster struck for the Panthers again. This time Bryce Young threw an interception that safety Julian Love returned to the Carolina 40. And the Seahawks started a second consecutive possession in Panthers territory thanks to a turnover.

They converted this one into another touchdown, this one on a 17-yard pass from Darnold to AJ Barner for a 17-3 lead. 

And with that, Carolina's hopes of securing the NFC South on Sunday were all but extinguished. Against one of the best defenses in the NFL, the Panthers stood little chance of mounting a second-half comeback. Seattle held on for the runaway win.

Sam Darnold turned the ball over twice and now leads the NFL with 20 turnovers for the season. But Seattle's stifling defense responded with two forced turnovers of its own while limiting the Panthers to 139 yards of total offense. 

Big stakes in Tampa in Week 18

And with that, the Panthers head into Week 18 with their season potentially on the line in a road game. 

The good news for the Panthers is that the Buccaneers are in the midst of their worst stretch of the season. After a 6-2 start, the Bucs have lost seven of eight games. Sunday's loss to the Dolphins was their fourth straight. 

Three of those losses were to teams that won't make the playoffs. The other was a 23-20 defeat to the Panthers in Charlotte last week. The Panthers (8-8) are hoping for the same result for the second time in two weeks, while the Bucs (7-9) are looking to even the season series while rooting for at least one Falcons loss.