With the Tampa Bay Buccaneers losing to the Miami Dolphins, a victory for the Carolina Panthers in Week 17 against the Seattle Seahawks would have clinched their first NFC South championship for a decade. Unfortunately, they never looked capable of toppling another Super Bowl hopeful.
And this served as a brutal reality check for head coach Dave Canales, who was completely outclassed and outthought by Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.
This is not the first time Canales has come up short this season. The Panthers have been up and down, alternating wins and losses each week in the second half of 2025.