CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The Carolina Panthers closed out the regular season with a 38-10 win against Tampa Bay on Sunday. They now move on to the NFC playoffs as the No. 1 seed. They will have a bye next weekend.
Reasons to be excited: Nobody can say the Panthers backed into the playoffs, as many did last season when Carolina won the NFC South with a 7-8-1 record. With the NFL's best record, the Panthers (15-1) are two wins at home from reaching the Super Bowl. They are 8-0 at Bank of America Stadium this season and have won 11 straight there, counting a playoff win last year against Arizona.