Carolina Panthers at New Orleans Saints: NFC Wild Card Open Thread

We wrap up Wild Card Weekend with an all-NFC South matchup and, more importantly, the game that will decide who the Minnesota Vikings will host at U.S. Bank Stadium next Sunday afternoon.

In this one, the Carolina Panthers will travel to New Orleans to take on the Saints. Both of these teams finished with 11-5 records this past season, but the Saints wound up winning the NFC South by virtue of having swept the Panthers during the regular season.

Both of these teams lost their regular season finale. The Panthers lost in Atlanta to a Falcons’ team that was playing for their playoff lives, and got into the field by virtue of that victory over Carolina. The Saints, on the other hand, lost to a Tampa Bay Buccaneers team that had nothing to play for and lost an opportunity to jump up to the third spot in the NFC.

The winner of this game will travel to U.S. Bank Stadium next Sunday afternoon to take on the Vikings. They will be the highest remaining seed, thanks to the Falcons beating the Los Angeles Rams in last night’s Wild Card action.

Enjoy the game, ladies and gentlemen! In a few hours, we will know the postseason matchup for our favorite football team.