Panthers rub salt in wound of Falcons, book plans to meet up in Cabo

With little at stake in Week 18 besides draft order implications and playing spoiler, the Carolina Panthers relished the latter. Instead of dwelling on their shortcomings, they showed up motivated to eliminate the Atlanta Falcons from playoff contention — and it showed.

Carolina capped off their overtime win over the Falcons with an impressive 10-play, 70-yard walk-off touchdown drive. Atlanta never got the ball back in the extra session (for a second consecutive game).

But perhaps the best part of it all was how happy members of the Panthers were to send their NFC South rivals packing.

Panthers rub salt in wound of Falcons, book plans to meet up in Cabo

"See y'all in Cabo," Panthers veteran pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney told Falcons fans repeatedly (h/t Gabe McDonald of Charlotte Sports Live). He and rookie tight end Ja'Tavion Sanders waved goodbye to the crowd, adding insult to injury. Moreover, the latter threw up the L (loss) hand gesture, reminding the Atlanta faithful that their season was officially over.

Ironically, the Panthers hurt themselves by defeating the Falcons, moving down from the No. 6 spot to eighth pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. But the players don't care about that, especially considering some may not even be on the roster to see the incoming rookie class. Clowney, Sanders and company are content knowing their victory contributed to Atlanta's downfall.

The Falcons' fate was decided before their matchup with the Panthers went final. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers handled business against the New Orleans Saints en route to clinching the division, erasing Atlanta's only path to the postseason. Regardless, that doesn't mean the Panthers enjoyed the moment any less.

Clowney backed up his smack talk with a strong showing in Atlanta. He amassed four tackles (one for loss), a sack, a pass deflection and 0.5 stuffs. Meanwhile, Sanders caught three of his five targets for 35 scoreless yards.

Kudos to first-year Panthers head coach Dave Canales. He got his group to play hard despite having minimal incentive, ending a down campaign on a high note. It's a testament to the command the 43-year-old has on the Carolina locker room.