Buccaneers lose NFC South lead after Week 16 Panthers loss

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are no longer ahead in the NFC South — can they still make the playoffs?

Carolina Panthers safety Lathan Ransom (22) celebrates the game-winning interception against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Jim Dedmon-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers need to win one of two games against the Carolina Panthers to ensure that they'll make the playoffs this year. They had a chance to get one of those games on Sunday against the Panthers, but unfortunately, they blew it.

The Bucs lost that game 23-20 in Carolina, and now, the Panthers need to win their Week 18 game to knock them out of the playoffs entirely. With that win, the Panthers are now ahead of the NFC South, but believe it or not, the Buccaneers control their own destiny.

Here's the rundown of where the NFC South is at:

Buccaneers no longer in lead for NFC South

Team	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA	Home	Away	Strk
Carolina Panthers	8	7	0	.533	287	337	5-2	3-5	W1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7	8	0	.467	347	377	3-4	4-4	L3
Atlanta Falcons	6	9	0	.400	307	360	2-4	4-5	W2
New Orleans Saints	5	10	0	.333	255	338	3-5	2-5	W3

The Panthers now hold a one-game lead over the Buccaneers. That being said, the Buccaneers still control their own destiny — win out, and you guarantee a spot in the playoffs. That's the simple version, but there is one scenario that is a little bit more complicated.

The Panthers play the Seattle Seahawks in Week 17, and the Buccaneers play the Miami Dolphins. If the Panthers manage to upset the Seahawks and the Buccaneers lose to the Dolphins, the Panthers would win the division outright then and there — Tampa Bay would be two games back of Carolina, so their Week 18 game wouldn't matter.

That's a doomsday scenario, though. The most likely reality is that either both teams win their game, lose their game or the Panthers lose to the Seahawks, who are competing for the No. 1 seed. If those things happen, the path before the Buccaneers is clear — they must beat the Carolina Panthers in Week 18 at home to go to the playoffs, and if they don't, they'll be sent home early for the first time in five seasons.

The Buccaneers will play the Miami Dolphins at 1 p.m on Sunday, while the Panthers will host the Seahawks at the same time at home. With that in mind, the Buccaneers will know their fate after the game either way — either they're still alive with a win over the Dolphins, or they lose to Miami and check the score on their phone in the locker room after.

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