Turnovers help 7-win Carolina take NFC South
ATLANTA — The Carolina Panthers’ bigplay defense appears capable of making a difference in the playoffs — even for a team with a losing record.
Roman Harper and Tre Boston returned interceptions for touchdowns and Carolina had six sacks, leading the Panthers to a 34-3 victory over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday to win the NFC South.
Carolina (7-8-1) will host Arizona in a wildcard playoff Saturday. The losing record didn’t keep the Panthers from celebrating their first back-toback playoff seasons.
“It feels great,” Carolina running back Jonathan Stewart said. “I mean, it’s a blessing and you just have to cherish these moments right now. ... We just believed and played our hearts out.”
The Panthers have won four straight, but still they are the first team to enter the playoffs with a losing record since 2010, when Seattle was 7-9.
“The beautiful thing — record doesn’t matter,” head coach Ron Rivera said. “That’s the best part.”
Harper scored on a 31-yard return in the second quarter, and Boston clinched the win with his 84-yard interception return late in the third quarter. A 33-yard fumble return by Thomas Davis set up another touchdown.
“It was a great defensive effort,” Rivera said.
The Panthers’ celebration began with their final timeout with 2:41 remaining. Quarterback Cam Newton lifted his arms toward Carolina fans who moved close to the field to claim seats vacated by Atlanta fans.
After the game, Newton answered fans who called his name by running back to the edge of the stands to give fans high-fives.
Newton completed 10 of 16 passes for 114 yards, including a 5-yard TD pass to Ed Dickson in the first quarter. Newton also had a 4-yard scoring run.
The Panthers did not have a turnover.
The Falcons (6-10) were booed as they finished their second straight losing season under head coach Mike Smith. Atlanta is 10-22 since falling to the 49ers in the 2012 NFC Championship Game.
Smith acknowledged the results have not met the standards he set with winning records in each of his first five seasons.
“This is a business about winning football games, and that’s how you’re judged,” Smith said. “I understand that, and I’ll leave it at that.