The Tampa Bay Buccaneers win over the Carolina Panthers yesterday left the final berth in the National Football Conference playoffs undecided. Had the Panthers won, they would have clinched the final playoff spot. For the Buccaneers to advance, they need to couple their win on Saturday with an Atlanta Falcons loss today to the New Orleans Saints.
Why?
Because if the Falcons beat the Saints, it will create a three-way tie with the Panthers, Buccaneers and Falcons all with 8 and 9 won/loss records. The formula for breaking that logjam of teams in the NFC South Division would go in favor of the Panthers. If the Saints win today in Atlanta, the Buccaneers win the division even with a won/loss record the same as Carolina.
Got that?
The announcers at the conclusion of the Buccaneers win on Saturday talked about how this gave significance to the Falcons winning at home. They now had a chance to affect the playoffs if only to determine by winning the Panthers go and with a loss open the path for the Buccaneers to earn the playoff fourth seed.
Teams out of the playoffs but having an opportunity to affect who advances most often falls to a team looking to knock off an opponent that needs a win to advance. It is common for a team out of the playoffs to beat a team that needs a win to earn a playoff spot. If a team is already assured of a playoff berth and meeting a team that needs it to get in, the team that needs it gets in almost all the time.