The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one game away from finishing off an epic collapse and entering an offseason of uncertainty.

The Carolina Panthers are closing in on their first playoff berth in eight years.

Two teams heading in opposite directions battle for the NFC South title today. But this isn’t a winner-take-all game.

The Panthers (8-8) can still clinch the division title with a loss because the Buccaneers (7-9) have to win and the Falcons (7-9) must lose or tie the Saints (6-10) for Tampa Bay to get in.

“First and foremost, we have to win on Saturday, so that’s the main focus,” Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said. ”(We) can’t control what happens in the game Sunday, but we can control how Saturday goes, how we prepare. ... The goal is still to go out there and try and find a way to win. Obviously, then play the waiting game, but we have to take care of our business and that’s winning on Saturday.”

If the Panthers win, they’ll earn their first division crown since Ron Rivera and Cam Newton led them to a 15-1 record and a Super Bowl appearance 10 years ago.

Carolina has gone through three coaching changes and started 10 different quarterbacks since their wild-card berth in 2017.

Dave Canales took over as head coach in 2024 after one season as the offensive coordinator for the Buccaneers where he helped Mayfield revive his career. He’s turned the Panthers around and Bryce Young is still developing in his third season.

Eagles to rest key starters in season finale vs. commanders

The Eagles are so concerned about clinching the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs, so mindful of potentially earning at least one extra home game in their pursuit of a second straight Super Bowl title that they are, well — they are treating the regular-season finale like a preseason game.

Jalen Hurts and the bulk of the starting lineup are taking the day off.

Philadelphia (11-5) will sit some starters against Washington (4-12). Some will be limited, and others will be dressed but won’t play as the team needs to meet the league minimum of available players.

Coach Nick Sirianni is playing the long game with his decision to essentially treat Sunday’s home game against the Commanders — unbelievably in retrospect, the matchup was last season’s NFC title game — like a bye week. Sirianni would rather give his regulars more time to rest, heal up from nagging injuries and start preparing for potential playoff opponents than risk injury to Hurts and others with only seeding at stake.