Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are 3-2, 3rd in the National Football Conference. See their playoff chances, the record they likely need, and how each remaining game moves the odds.
Next games
- Sun, Oct 25: vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- Thu, Oct 29: at Green Bay Packers
- Sun, Nov 8: vs Denver Broncos
- Sun, Nov 15: at New Orleans Saints
- Sun, Nov 22: vs Baltimore Ravens
- Mon, Nov 30: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Common questions
Can the Carolina Panthers still make the playoffs?
The Carolina Panthers are 3-2, 3rd in the National Football Conference. Their live playoff odds, magic number and the games they need are on this page, updated after every game.
What record do the Carolina Panthers need to make the playoffs?
This page lists every final record the Carolina Panthers could finish with and how often each one gets them into the NFL playoffs in simulated seasons.
How the NFL playoffs work
- 14 teams make the playoffs, seven from each conference (AFC and NFC).
- The four division winners are seeded 1–4 by record. The three best other teams are wild cards, seeded 5–7.
- Only the #1 seed gets a first-round bye. In the Wild Card round, 2 hosts 7, 3 hosts 6 and 4 hosts 5.
- Every round is one game. After the Wild Card round, the top remaining seed plays the lowest, through the Divisional round and the conference championships to the Super Bowl.
Tiebreakers
Between two teams in a division: head-to-head, then division record, record in common games and conference record. For wild cards: head-to-head, conference record, common games (at least four), then strength of victory and strength of schedule. With three or more teams, head-to-head only counts as a sweep.
How the odds work
The odds come from playing out the rest of the season thousands of times. Each simulated game is decided by the two teams’ records so far, pulled toward average early in the season, and teams that finish level are separated with the league’s official tiebreakers.