THE TAKE
I kind of have a crush on the Panthers to maybe rise up and squeeze a Wild Card.
BOLDNESS
55/100
GRADE
72/100
PLAYERS / TEAMS
None tagged
GRADING CRITERIA
TRUE IF
they earn a Wild Card berth;
FALSE IF
they miss the playoffs or only qualify as a division winner (though division winner could be argued as exceeding the take).
vaguecontrarianbold call
OUTCOME
PARTIALLY TRUEThe Carolina Panthers did make the playoffs for the first time since 2017, but they qualified as the NFC South Division Champions rather than as a Wild Card team. They finished 8-9, winning a three-way tiebreaker over the Buccaneers and Falcons to claim the division title. The take's resolution criteria specified TRUE only for a Wild Card berth, and the Panthers actually earned a division crown — which arguably exceeds the prediction, but technically does not satisfy the stated condition.