Their most recent loss guarantees that the Panthers will finish the 2019 season in last place in the NFC South.

Here’s a review of what happened around the division in Week 16.

Saints (12-3) beat Titans (8-7), 38-28

Another week, another win for New Orleans. A 21-point outburst in the third quarter is what did got the job done this time, despite another impressive game from Ryan Tannehill, who threw three touchdowns passes. The most encouraging thing for the Saints was the performance of Alvin Kamara, who averaged 7.3 yards per carry and scored two touchdowns – his first since Week 3. They close out the season against the Panthers.

Buccaneers (7-8) lost to Texans (10-5), 23-20

If you ever wanted to introduce somebody to Jameis Winston who wasn’t familiar with his game, this would be the one to show them. Despite throwing four interceptions, Winston made enough high-level throws to keep the Bucs in the game and made it interesting, right up until his last pick put it away. No NFL team faces a more difficult decision this offseason as to what to do at quarterback. One thing they don’t need to worry about is the linebacker position. Lavonte David and Devin White look at least as good as any other linebacker combo in the league, Carolina’s included.

Falcons (6-9) beat Jaguars (5-10), 24-12

Beating Jacksonville these days won’t earn you many brownie points, especially at home. Atlanta has to be encouraged by the performances of its running backs, though. It’s been a brutal year but Brian Hill and Devonta Freeman combined for 119 yards and a touchdown on 20 total carries. Julio Jones (10 catches, 166 yards) is still the engine that drives them, though. The Falcons are a good candidate to be the bounce-back team of 2020.

Panthers (5-10) lost to Colts (7-8), 38-6

Last week we joked that Carolina might find new and interesting ways to lose and hit the bullseye. This time it was an atrocious performance by the punt coverage unit, which allowed two touchdowns and 195 return yards for Nyheim Hines. In retrospect, it was only a matter of time before the usually-solid special teams unit cost this team a game. On the bright side, there’s only one more painful week to go.

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