# 2017 Carolina Panthers season

The 2017 season was the Carolina Panthers' 23rd in the National Football League (NFL) and their seventh under head coach Ron Rivera. During the offseason, the team's notable free agent signings included Matt Kalil, Captain Munnerlyn and veteran Julius Peppers. Peppers previously spent his first eight seasons with the Panthers, appearing in Super Bowl XXXVIII with them. On July 17, 2017, the team announced Dave Gettleman had been relieved as general manager. His predecessor, Marty Hurney, was hired as interim general manager a day later. For the first time since 2011, the Panthers did not play the Seattle Seahawks during the regular season. The Panthers rebounded after a disappointing 2016 campaign, where they were the defending NFC champions but finished 6–10 and last in the NFC South. 2017 saw the Panthers qualify for the playoffs with an 11–5 record. However, they lost to the Saints 31–26 in the Wild Card round.
As of the 2024 season, this is the last season that the Panthers qualified for the playoffs, making it 7 straight years that they have missed the postseason. This also remains their last winning or .500 season.

## Offseason
### Signings

| Position | Player | Age | 2016 Team | Contract |
| OT | Matt Kalil | 27 | Minnesota Vikings | 5 years, $55.5 million |
| CB | Captain Munnerlyn | 29 | Minnesota Vikings | 4 years, $17 million |
| WR | Russell Shepard | 26 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 3 years, $10 million |
| SS | Mike Adams | 36 | Indianapolis Colts | 2 years, $4.2 million |
| OLB | Julius Peppers | 37 | Green Bay Packers | 1 year, $3.5 million |
| DT | Kyle Love | 30 | Carolina Panthers | 2 years, $2.2 million |
| WR | Charles Johnson | 28 | Minnesota Vikings | 1 year, $1.6 million |
| OG | Chris Scott | 29 | Carolina Panthers | 1 year, $980,000 |
| CB | Teddy Williams | 28 | Carolina Panthers | 1 year, $855,000 |

### Releases

| Position | Player | Age | 2017 Team |
| DT | Paul Soliai | 33 | none |
| FS | Michael Griffin | 32 | none |
| C | Ryan Wendell | 31 | none |
| WR | LaRon Byrd | 27 | none |
| DT | Chas Alecxih | 28 | none |

## Draft

2017 Carolina Panthers Draft :
| Round | Selection | Player | Position | College |
| 1 | 8 | Christian McCaffrey | RB | Stanford |
| 2 | 40 | Curtis Samuel | WR | Ohio State |
| 2 | 64 | Taylor Moton | OT | Western Michigan |
| 3 | 77 | Daeshon Hall | DE | Texas A&M |
| 5 | 152 | Corn Elder | CB | Miami |
| 6 | 192 | Alexander Armah | FB/DE | West Georgia |
| 7 | 233 | Harrison Butker | K | Georgia Tech |
Notes
* The Panthers traded their third-round selection (No. 72 overall) and defensive end Kony Ealy to the New England Patriots for New England's second-round selection (No. 64 overall).

## Preseason

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | August 9 | Houston Texans | W 27–17 | 1–0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | August 19 | at Tennessee Titans | L 27–34 | 1–1 | Nissan Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | August 24 | at Jacksonville Jaguars | W 24–23 | 2–1 | EverBank Field | Recap |
| 4 | August 31 | Pittsburgh Steelers | L 14–17 | 2–2 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |

## Regular season
### Schedule

| Week | Date | Opponent | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| 1 | September 10 | at San Francisco 49ers | W 23–3 | 1–0 | Levi's Stadium | Recap |
| 2 | September 17 | Buffalo Bills | W 9–3 | 2–0 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 3 | September 24 | New Orleans Saints | L 13–34 | 2–1 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 4 | October 1 | at New England Patriots | W 33–30 | 3–1 | Gillette Stadium | Recap |
| 5 | October 8 | at Detroit Lions | W 27–24 | 4–1 | Ford Field | Recap |
| 6 | October 12 | Philadelphia Eagles | L 23–28 | 4–2 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 7 | October 22 | at Chicago Bears | L 3–17 | 4–3 | Soldier Field | Recap |
| 8 | October 29 | at Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 17–3 | 5–3 | Raymond James Stadium | Recap |
| 9 | November 5 | Atlanta Falcons | W 20–17 | 6–3 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 10 | November 13 | Miami Dolphins | W 45–21 | 7–3 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 11 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 12 | November 26 | at New York Jets | W 35–27 | 8–3 | MetLife Stadium | Recap |
| 13 | December 3 | at New Orleans Saints | L 21–31 | 8–4 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |
| 14 | December 10 | Minnesota Vikings | W 31–24 | 9–4 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 15 | December 17 | Green Bay Packers | W 31–24 | 10–4 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 16 | December 24 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | W 22–19 | 11–4 | Bank of America Stadium | Recap |
| 17 | December 31 | at Atlanta Falcons | L 10–22 | 11–5 | Mercedes-Benz Stadium | Recap |
Note: Intra-division opponents are in bold text.

### Game summaries
#### Week 1: at San Francisco 49ers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 7 | 6 | 10 | 0 | 23 |
| 49ers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
at Levi's Stadium, Santa Clara, California
* Date: September 10
* Game time: 4:25 p.m. EDT/1:25 p.m. PDT
* Game weather: 87 °F (31 °C), clear
* Game attendance: 70,178
* Referee: Clete Blakeman
* TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
CAR – Russell Shepard 40-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 3:10. Panthers 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 42 yards, 1:35.
Second quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 39-yard field goal, 3:28. Panthers 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 27 yards, 3:04.
CAR – Graham Gano 36-yard field goal, 0:05. Panthers 13–0. Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards, 0:42.
Third quarter
CAR – Jonathan Stewart 9-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 11:32. Panthers 20–0. Drive: 5 plays, 28 yards, 3:01.
CAR – Graham Gano 20-yard field goal, 3:14. Panthers 23–0. Drive: 11 plays, 40 yards, 6:53.
SF – Robbie Gould 44-yard field goal, 0:13. Panthers 23–3. Drive: 10 plays, 49 yards, 3:03.
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays.
Top passers
CAR – Cam Newton – 14/25, 171 yards, 2 TD, INT
SF – Brian Hoyer – 24/35, 193 yards, INT
Top rushers
CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 18 rushes, 65 yards
SF – Carlos Hyde – 9 rushes, 45 yards
Top receivers
CAR – Russell Shepard – 2 receptions, 53 yards, TD
SF – Pierre Garcon – 6 receptions, 81 yards :
The Panthers started off their season by making their first return to Levi's Stadium since losing to the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Late in the first quarter Cam Newton threw a 40-yard touchdown to Russell Sheppard followed by a Graham Gano field goal. The Panthers scored six more points in the second quarter with two field goals. In the third Jonathan Stewart scored a touchdown, followed by another Gano field goal. With 3:14 left to go in the third quarter, Gano made his third field goal of the day making the score 23–0. Robbie Gould's kick with thirteen seconds to go gave the 49ers their first points of the game. Neither the Panthers or 49ers scored in the fourth quarter, resulting in Carolina defeating San Francisco 23–3. They improved to 1–0.

#### Week 2: vs. Buffalo Bills

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Bills | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 |
| Panthers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 3 | 9 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: September 17
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
* Game weather: 83 °F (28 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 74,122
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV announcers (CBS): Kevin Harlan and Rich Gannon
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 34-yard field goal, 8:54. Panthers 3–0. Drive: 13 plays, 59 yards, 6:11.
Second quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 28-yard field goal, 2:06. Panthers 6–0. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 6:51.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
BUF – Steven Hauschka 45-yard field goal, 11:15. Panthers 6–3. Drive: 9 plays, 30 yards, 4:18.
CAR – Graham Gano 20-yard field goal, 2:38. Panthers 9–3. Drive: 15 plays, 73 yards, 8:34.
Top passers
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 17/25, 125 yards
CAR – Cam Newton – 20/32, 228 yards
Top rushers
BUF – Tyrod Taylor – 8 rushes, 55 yards
CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 15 rushes, 40 yards
Top receivers
BUF – LeSean McCoy – 6 receptions, 34 yards
CAR – Kelvin Benjamin – 6 receptions, 77 yards :
In the Panthers home opener, Carolina's defense allowed only three points for the second straight week, and Graham Gano converted three field goals as the Panthers held on to defeat the Buffalo Bills 9–3 to remain undefeated. With seconds remaining in the game, Tyrod Taylor's 4th-and-11 pass sailed off diving rookie Zay Jones' fingertips, costing them the game winning touchdown. The Panthers improved to 2–0.

#### Week 3: vs. New Orleans Saints

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Saints | 7 | 10 | 7 | 10 | 34 |
| Panthers | 3 | 3 | 7 | 0 | 13 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: September 24
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
* Game weather: 82 °F (28 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 73,775
* Referee: Bill Vinovich
* TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber and Kristina Pink
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 32-yard field goal, 6:23. Panthers 3–0. Drive: 15 plays, 61 yards, 8:41.
NO – Michael Thomas 5-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 0:29. Saints 7–3. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 5:57.
Second quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 48-yard field goal, 10:52. Saints 7–6. Drive: 8 plays, 45 yards, 4:36.
NO – Brandon Coleman 11-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 5:48. Saints 14–6. Drive: 4 plays, 24 yards, 2:08.
NO – Wil Lutz 33-yard field goal, 0:05. Saints 17–6. Drive: 10 plays, 54 yards, 4:43.
Third quarter
NO – Ted Ginn Jr. 40-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 11:18. Saints 24–6. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:51.
CAR – Cam Newton 3-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 1:26. Saints 24–13. Drive: 7 plays, 83 yards, 4:11.
Fourth quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 50-yard field goal, 12:03. Saints 27–13. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 4:21.
NO – Alvin Kamara 25-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 4:50. Saints 34–13. Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 2:16.
Top passers
NO – Drew Brees – 22/29, 220 yards, 3 TD
CAR – Cam Newton – 17/26, 167 yards, 3 INT
Top rushers
NO – Mark Ingram II – 14 rushes, 56 yards
CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 12 rushes, 57 yards
Top receivers
NO – Michael Thomas – 7 receptions, 87 yards, TD
CAR – Christian McCaffrey – 9 receptions, 101 yards :
The Saints were too much for the Panthers as they handed them their first loss of the season, 34–13. The Panthers fell to 2–1.

#### Week 4: at New England Patriots

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 3 | 14 | 6 | 10 | 33 |
| Patriots | 3 | 13 | 0 | 14 | 30 |
at Gillette Stadium, Foxborough, Massachusetts
* Date: October 1
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
* Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 65,878
* Referee: Jerome Boger
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
NE – Stephen Gostkowski 41-yard field goal, 11:47. Patriots 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 52 yards, 3:13.
CAR – Graham Gano 32-yard field goal, 7:41. Tied 3–3. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 4:06.
Second quarter
NE – Chris Hogan 2-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 12:39. Patriots 10–3. Drive: 11 plays, 74 yards, 5:32.
CAR – Fozzy Whittaker 28-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 9:41. Tied 10–10. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 2:58.
NE – Stephen Gostkowski 35-yard field goal, 4:30. Patriots 13–10. Drive: 12 plays, 57 yards, 5:11.
CAR – Devin Funchess 10-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 0:26. Panthers 17–13. Drive: 9 plays, 84 yards, 4:04.
NE – Stephen Gostkowski 58-yard field goal, 0:00. Panthers 17–16. Drive: 4 plays, 35 yards, 0:26.
Third quarter
CAR – Devin Funchess 16-yard pass from Cam Newton (kick failed, wide left), 2:47. Panthers 23–16. Drive: 11 plays, 68 yards, 6:30.
Fourth quarter
CAR – Cam Newton 7-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 12:58. Panthers 30–16. Drive: 6 plays, 64 yards, 2:50.
NE – Dion Lewis 8-yard run (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 8:46. Panthers 30–23. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:12.
NE – Danny Amendola 1-yard pass from Tom Brady (Stephen Gostkowski kick), 3:09. Tied 30–30. Drive: 10 plays, 49 yards, 4:18.
CAR – Graham Gano 48-yard field goal, 0:00. Panthers 33–30. Drive: 10 plays, 46 yards, 3:09.
Top passers
CAR – Cam Newton – 22/29, 316 yards, 3 TD, INT
NE – Tom Brady – 32/45, 307 yards, 2 TD
Top rushers
CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 14 rushes, 68 yards
NE – Mike Gillislee – 12 rushes, 49 yards
Top receivers
CAR – Kelvin Benjamin – 4 receptions, 104 yards
NE – Rob Gronkowski – 4 receptions, 80 yards :
In the first quarter, both Carolina and New England managed to only kick field goals. New England scored the first touchdown in the second quarter. Carolina answered with a touchdown by Fozzy Whittaker which tied the game again. The Patriots later scored with another Stephen Gostkowski field goal. Devin Funchess caught a ten-yard pass from Newton to give the Panthers a 17–13 lead. With four seconds remaining in the half Gostkowski kicked a 58-yard field goal, making the halftime score 17–16. Carolina had the only score in the third quarter with a Funchess touchdown but Gano missed the extra point. The Panthers started the fourth quarter with Cam Newton rushing for a touchdown, increasing the lead to 30–16. New England managed to score twice, tying the game at 30. With seconds left, Graham Gano kicked the game winning field goal. The Panthers won 33–30 (their first win in Foxborough since 1995) and improved to 3–1, which would also be their record against the Patriots since losing to them in Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004.

#### Week 5: at Detroit Lions

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 3 | 14 | 10 | 0 | 27 |
| Lions | 3 | 7 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
at Ford Field, Detroit, Michigan
* Date: October 8
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
* Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
* Game attendance: 64,288
* Referee: Craig Wrolstad
* TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Charles Davis and Pam Oliver
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
DET – Matt Prater 30-yard field goal. Lions 3–0. Drive: 8 plays, 63 yards, 3:28.
CAR – Graham Gano 21-yard field goal. Tied 3–3. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 3:01.
Second quarter
DET – Zach Zenner 1-yard run. (Matt Prater kick). Lions 10–3. Drive: 9 plays, 78 yards, 5:19.
CAR – Christian McCaffrey 6-yard pass from Cam Newton. (Graham Gano kick). Tied 10–10. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:28.
CAR – Devin Funchess 10-yard pass from Cam Newton. (Graham Gano kick). Panthers 17–10. Drive: 11 plays, 73 yards, 4:10.
Third quarter
CAR – Kelvin Benjamin 31-yard pass from Cam Newton. (Graham Gano kick). Panthers 24–10. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:17.
CAR – Graham Gano 44-yard field goal. Panthers 27–10. Drive: 4 plays, 3 yards, 1:09.
Fourth quarter
DET – Darren Fells 4-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick). Panthers 27–17. Drive: 8 plays, 69 yards, 3:10.
DET – Darren Fells 20-yard pass from Matthew Stafford (Matt Prater kick). Panthers 27–24. Drive: 6 plays, 53 yards, 0:51.
Top passers
CAR – Cam Newton – 26/33, 355 yards, 3 TDs
DET – Matthew Stafford – 23/35, 229 yards, 2 TDs
Top rushers
CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 18 rushes, 21 yards
DET – Ameer Abdullah – 10 rushes, 31 yards
Top receivers
CAR – Ed Dickson – 5 receptions, 175 yards
DET – Marvin Jones – 6 receptions, 54 yards :
Carolina and Detroit were tied with 3 points apiece at the end of the first quarter. Early in the second, the Lions scored a touchdown, making the score 3–10. The Panthers answered back with a Christian McCaffery touchdown, tying the game again. Devin Funchess scored a touchdown towards the end of the quarter, giving the Panthers a 17–10 lead. The Panthers started the second half with Cam Newton throwing a 31-yard touchdown pass to Kelvin Benjamin. Gano later made a 44-yard field goal to extend the lead to 27–10 going into the fourth quarter. Matthew Stafford threw a touchdown a pass to Fells, cutting the Panthers lead to 27–17. The Lions scored again with another Fells touchdown. The Panthers held on and won 27–24, improving to 4–1.

#### Week 6: vs. Philadelphia Eagles

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Eagles | 3 | 7 | 11 | 7 | 28 |
| Panthers | 3 | 7 | 6 | 7 | 23 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: October 12
* Game time: 8:25 pm. EDT
* Game weather: 72 °F (22 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 74,373
* Referee: Pete Morelli
* TV announcers (CBS/NFLN/Amazon Video): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo, Tracy Wolfson and Jay Feely
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
PHI – Jake Elliott 50-yard field goal, 6:57. Eagles 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 5:18.
CAR – Graham Gano 39-yard field goal, 2:17. Tie 3–3. Drive: 9 plays, 33 yards, 4:40.
Second quarter
CAR – Cam Newton 16-yard rush (Graham Gano kick), 10:34. Panthers 10–3. Drive: 4 plays, 43 yards, 1:59.
PHI – Zach Ertz 1-yard pass from Carson Wentz (Jake Elliott kick), 2:32. Tie 10–10. Drive: 7 plays, 12 yards, 3:56.
Third quarter
PHI – Zach Ertz 17-yard pass from Carson Wentz (LeGarrette Blount rush), 13:59. Eagles 18–10. Drive: 2 plays, 17 yards, 0:08.
CAR – Graham Gano 20-yard field goal, 11:19. Eagles 18–13. Drive: 8 plays, 23 yards, 2:40.
PHI – Jake Elliott 48-yard field goal, 8:02. Eagles 21–13. Drive: 7 plays, 44 yards, 3:17.
CAR – Graham Gano 46-yard field goal, 3:23. Eagles 21–16. Drive: 7 plays, 37 yards, 2:38.
Fourth quarter
PHI – Nelson Agholor 24-yard pass from Carson Wentz (Jake Elliott kick), 14:55. Eagles 28–16. Drive: 6 plays, 75 yards, 3:28.
CAR – Christian McCaffrey 1-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 8:04. Eagles 28–23. Drive: 13 plays, 75 yards, 6:51.
Top passers
PHI – Carson Wentz – 15/27, 217 yards, 3 TD
CAR – Cam Newton – 22/39, 183 yards, TD, 3 INT
Top rushers
PHI – LeGarrette Blount – 11 rushes, 57 yards
CAR – Cam Newton – 11 rushes, 71 yards, TD
Top receivers
PHI – Alshon Jeffery – 3 receptions, 66 yards
CAR – Kelvin Benjamin – 7 receptions, 80 yards :
On Thursday Night Football, both teams wore their Color Rush uniforms. The Eagles beat the Panthers 28–23, and Carolina fell to 4–2.

#### Week 7: at Chicago Bears

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 |
| Bears | 7 | 10 | 0 | 0 | 17 |
at Soldier Field, Chicago, Illinois
* Date: October 22
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT/12:00 p.m. CDT
* Game weather: 70 °F (21 °C), cloudy with periods of rain, thunder possible
* Game attendance: 61,256
* Referee: Walt Anderson
* TV announcers (CBS): Ian Eagle, Dan Fouts and Evan Washburn
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
CHI – Eddie Jackson 75-yard fumble return (Connor Barth kick), 8:59. Bears 7–0.
Second quarter
CHI – Eddie Jackson 76-yard interception return (Connor Barth kick), 12:28. Bears 14–0.
CAR – Graham Gano 36-yard field goal, 3:18. Bears 14–3. Drive: 16 plays, 56 yards, 9:10.
CHI – Connor Barth 19-yard field goal, 1:10. Bears 17–3. Drive: 5 plays, 74 yards, 2:08.
Third quarter
No scoring plays.
Fourth quarter
No scoring plays.
Top passers
CAR – Cam Newton – 21/34, 211 yards, 2 INT
CHI – Mitchell Trubisky – 4/7, 107 yards
Top rushers
CAR – Cam Newton – 9 rushes, 50 yards
CHI – Jordan Howard – 21 rushes, 65 yards
Top receivers
CAR – Christian McCaffrey – 7 receptions, 36 yards
CHI – Zach Miller – 2 receptions, 29 yards :
The Panthers lost for a second straight week by managing to score only one field goal in Chicago. The Bears beat Carolina 17–3, and they fell to 4–3.

#### Week 8: at Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 7 | 3 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Buccaneers | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | 3 |
at Raymond James Stadium, Tampa, Florida
* Date: October 29
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EDT
* Game weather: 63 °F (17 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 58,545
* Referee: Walt Coleman
* TV announcers (Fox): Chris Myers, Daryl Johnston and Laura Okmin
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
CAR – Jonathan Stewart 1-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 1:34. Panthers 7–0. Drive: 17 plays, 82 yards, 8:38.
Second quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 28-yard field goal, 0:17. Panthers 10–0. Drive: 9 plays, 41 yards, 2:11.
Third quarter
TB – Patrick Murray 41-yard field goal, 4:49. Panthers 10–3. Drive: 8 plays, 31 yards, 3:27.
Fourth quarter
CAR – Kelvin Benjamin 25-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 8:48. Panthers 17–3. Drive: 5 plays, 48 yards, 2:44.
Top passers
CAR – Cam Newton – 18/32, 154 yards, TD, INT
TB – Jameis Winston – 21/38, 210 yards, 2 INT
Top rushers
CAR – Cam Newton – 11 rushes, 44 yards
TB – Doug Martin – 18 rushes, 71 yards
Top receivers
CAR – Christian McCaffrey – 5 receptions, 49 yards
TB – Mike Evans – 5 receptions, 60 yards :
The Panthers bounced back after a two-week losing streak, and beat their division rivals 17–3. Carolina improved to 5–3.

#### Week 9: vs. Atlanta Falcons

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Falcons | 10 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 17 |
| Panthers | 0 | 14 | 6 | 0 | 20 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: November 5
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
* Game weather: 61 °F (16 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 74,244
* Referee: Tony Corrente
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
ATL – Matt Bryant 53-yard field goal, 12:16. Falcons 3–0. Drive: 5 plays, 40 yards, 2:44.
ATL – Mohamed Sanu 6-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 3:30. Falcons 10–0. Drive: 8 plays, 61 yards, 4:38.
Second quarter
CAR – Christian McCaffrey 4-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 1:55. Falcons 10–7. Drive: 6 plays, 50 yards, 2:35.
CAR – Cam Newton 9-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 0:23. Panthers 14–10. Drive: 4 plays, 31 yards, 0:52.
Third quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 31-yard field goal, 9:03. Panthers 17–10. Drive: 10 plays, 62 yards, 5:57.
CAR – Graham Gano 45-yard field goal, 1:38. Panthers 20–10. Drive: 9 plays, 45 yards, 5:48.
Fourth quarter
ATL – Tevin Coleman 19-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 3:25. Panthers 20–17. Drive: 7 plays, 92 yards, 2:01.
Top passers
ATL – Matt Ryan – 24/38, 313 yards, 2 TD, INT
CAR – Cam Newton – 13/24, 137 yards
Top rushers
ATL – Devonta Freeman – 11 rushes, 46 yards
CAR – Cam Newton – 9 rushes, 86 yards, TD
Top receivers
ATL – Julio Jones – 6 receptions, 118 yards
CAR – Devin Funchess – 5 receptions, 86 yards :
This was the Panthers' first game without wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin, who was traded to Buffalo days earlier. In this game, neither team scored in the same quarter. The Falcons were the only team to score in the first quarter, and led 10–0 going into the second. It was vice versa in the second, as Carolina scored two touchdowns for a four-point lead at the half. Atlanta was scoreless again in the third but Carolina scored on two Graham Gano field goals, making it 20–10. Atlanta had the only score of the fourth quarter, but Carolina survived and won 20–17. Their record improved to 6–3.

#### Week 10: vs. Miami Dolphins

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Dolphins | 0 | 7 | 7 | 7 | 21 |
| Panthers | 3 | 14 | 21 | 7 | 45 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: November 13
* Game time: 8:30 pm. EST
* Game weather: 49 °F (9 °C), clear
* Game attendance: 72,790
* Referee: Gene Steratore
* TV announcers (ESPN): Sean McDonough, Jon Gruden and Lisa Salters
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 40-yard field goal, 1:50. Panthers 3–0. Drive: 11 plays, 42 yards, 5:33.
Second quarter
CAR – Christian McCaffrey 4-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 6:59. Panthers 10–0. Drive: 12 plays, 85 yards, 6:17.
MIA – Julius Thomas 2-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Cody Parkey kick), 2:12. Panthers 10–7. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:47.
CAR – Ed Dickson 7-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 0:19. Panthers 17–7. Drive: 4 plays, 20 yards, 0:22.
Third quarter
CAR – Devin Funchess 28-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 11:50. Panthers 24–7. Drive: 8 plays, 78 yards, 3:10.
CAR – Cameron Artis-Payne 12-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 7:15. Panthers 31–7. Drive: 4 plays, 48 yards, 2:19.
MIA – Kenyan Drake 66-yard run (Cody Parkey kick), 5:47. Panthers 31–14. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 1:28.
CAR – Christian McCaffrey 2-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 3:07. Panthers 38–14. Drive: 4 plays, 87 yards, 2:40.
Fourth quarter
CAR – Devin Funchess 32-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 8:20. Panthers 45–14. Drive: 11 plays, 83 yards, 6:43.
MIA – Jarvis Landry 9-yard pass from Jay Cutler (Cody Parkey kick), 4:05. Panthers 45–21. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:15.
Top passers
MIA – Jay Cutler – 22/37, 213 yards, 2 TD, INT
CAR – Cam Newton – 21/35, 254 yards, 4 TD
Top rushers
MIA – Kenyan Drake – 7 rushes, 82 yards, TD
CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 17 rushes, 110 yards
Top receivers
MIA – DeVante Parker – 6 receptions, 66 yards
CAR – Devin Funchess – 5 receptions, 92 yards, 2 TD :
In this Monday Night Football game, the Panthers beat the Dolphins 45–21 and improved to 7–3.

#### Week 12: at New York Jets

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 3 | 9 | 6 | 17 | 35 |
| Jets | 3 | 7 | 7 | 10 | 27 |
at MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
* Date: November 26
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
* Game weather: 47 °F (8 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 77,562
* Referee: Carl Cheffers
* TV announcers (Fox): Thom Brennaman, Chris Spielman and Peter Schrager
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 40-yard field goal, 9:55. Panthers 3–0. Drive: 12 plays, 48 yards, 5:05.
NYJ – Chandler Catanzaro 31-yard field goal, 5:13. Tied 3–3. Drive: 10 plays, 55 yards, 4:42.
Second quarter
CAR – Cam Newton 1-yard run (kick failed), 10:02. Panthers 9–3. Drive: 8 plays, 86 yards, 4:14.
CAR – Graham Gano 33-yard field goal, 3:59. Panthers 12–3. Drive: 5 plays, 34 yards, 2:11.
NYJ – Robby Anderson 33-yard pass from Josh McCown (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 1:12. Panthers 12–10. Drive: 6 plays, 65 yards, 1:00.
Third quarter
NYJ – Robby Anderson 54-yard pass from Josh McCown (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 5:41. Jets 17–12. Drive: 2 plays, 68 yards, 0:37.
CAR – Jonathan Stewart 2-yard run (pass failed), 1:12. Panthers 18–17. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 4:29.
Fourth quarter
NYJ – Chandler Catanzaro 19-yard field goal, 14:01. Jets 20–18. Drive: 10 plays, 74 yards, 2:11.
CAR – Luke Kuechly 34-yard fumble return (Cam Newton run), 12:05. Panthers 26–20.
CAR – Kaelin Clay 60-yard punt return (pass failed), 9:54. Panthers 32–20.
NYJ – Jermaine Kearse 3-yard pass from Josh McCown (Chandler Catanzaro kick), 5:32. Panthers 32–27. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 4:22.
CAR – Graham Gano 45-yard field goal, 0:21. Panthers 35–27. Drive: 11 plays, 48 yards, 5:11.
Top passers
CAR – Cam Newton – 11/28, 168 yards
NYJ – Josh McCown – 19/36, 307 yards, 3 TD
Top rushers
CAR – Christian McCaffrey – 7 rushes, 62 yards
NYJ – Bilal Powell – 9 rushes, 34 yards
Top receivers
CAR – Devin Funchess – 7 receptions, 108 yards
NYJ – Jermaine Kearse – 7 receptions, 105 yards, TD :
In the first quarter Carolina and New York scored only a field goal each. In the second quarter, Cam Newton scored a 1-yard touchdown but Graham Gano missed the extra point. Gano redeemed himself with another field goal, giving the Panthers a nine-point lead. Robby Anderson caught a 33-yard pass from Josh McCown, plus the extra point from Chandler Catanzaro, and Carolina led, 12–10. In the third New York scored a touchdown, and Jets led by 17–12. But Carolina answered with a Jonathan Stewart touchdown and took an 18–17 lead. Early in the fourth Catanzaro kicked a field goal, putting the Jets back on top, 20–18. Later the Panthers blitzed McCown and forced a fumble, which was recovered by Luke Kuechly who recovered it for a 34-yard touchdown. The Jets punted after their next drive fizzled and Kaelin Clay returned it 60 yards, making the score 32–20. Jermaine Kearse scored a touchdown for the Jets, and Catanzaro's extra point cut the Panthers' lead to 5. With 0:21 to go in the fourth quarter, Gano kicked a field goal and Carolina won by a final score of 35–27. The Panthers record improved to 8–3. Their win knocked the Jets and Giants out of playoff contention.

#### Week 13: at New Orleans Saints

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 7 | 7 | 0 | 7 | 21 |
| Saints | 7 | 14 | 7 | 3 | 31 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: December 3
* Game time: 4:25 pm. EST/3:25 pm. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
* Game attendance: 73,171
* Referee: John Hussey
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
NO – Alvin Kamara 2-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 10:15. Saints 7–0. Drive: 11 plays, 70 yards, 4:45.
CAR – Jonathan Stewart 2-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 5:09. Tied 7–7. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 5:06.
Second quarter
NO – Mark Ingram II 3-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 11:32. Saints 14–7. Drive: 3 plays, 84 yards, 1:36.
NO – Michael Thomas 10-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 7:21. Saints 21–7. Drive: 6 plays, 31 yards, 3:18.
CAR – Christian McCaffrey 21-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 1:56. Saints 21–14. Drive: 4 plays, 45 yards, 1:54.
Third quarter
NO – Alvin Kamara 20-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 8:10. Saints 28–14. Drive: 8 plays, 67 yards, 5:04.
Fourth quarter
NO – Wil Lutz 31-yard field goal, 6:08. Saints 31–14. Drive: 6 plays, 34 yards, 2:47.
CAR – Devin Funchess 24-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 3:57. Saints 31–21. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 2:11.
Top passers
CAR – Cam Newton – 17/27, 183 yards, 2 TD
NO – Drew Brees – 25/34, 269 yards, TD
Top rushers
CAR – Cam Newton – 6 rushes, 51 yards
NO – Mark Ingram II – 14 rushes, 85 yards, TD
Top receivers
CAR – Christian McCaffrey – 5 receptions, 33 yards, TD
NO – Mark Ingram II – 6 receptions, 37 yards :
The Panthers and Saints were tied at 7–7 going into the second quarter. Mark Ingram II scored a touchdown with a Wil Lutz extra point, and the Saints led by seven. The Saintsd score again to lead by 14. At the end of the second Christian McCaffery scored a touchdown, and with the extra point by Graham Gano, Carolina was down by seven at the half. Alvin Kamara scored a touchdown (Lutz kick) in the third, again increasing New Orleans' lead to 14 points. In the fourth quarter New Orleans scored 3 and Carolina scored 7. The Saints were too much for Carolina and won 31–21. Carolina fell to 8–4.

#### Week 14: vs. Minnesota Vikings

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Vikings | 7 | 6 | 0 | 11 | 24 |
| Panthers | 7 | 7 | 10 | 7 | 31 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: December 10
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
* Game weather: 41 °F (5 °C), sunny
* Game attendance: 73,728
* Referee: Terry McAulay
* TV announcers (CBS): Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
CAR – Jonathan Stewart 60-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 11:06. Panthers 7–0. Drive: 3 plays, 69 yards, 1:35.
MIN – Kyle Rudolph 18-yard pass from Case Keenum (Kai Forbath kick), 6:33. Tied 7–7. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:27.
Second quarter
CAR – Jonathan Stewart 1-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 14:22. Panthers 14–7. Drive: 14 plays, 89 yards, 7:12.
MIN – Kai Forbath 30-yard field goal, 5:08. Panthers 14–10. Drive: 9 plays, 62 yards, 4:03.
MIN – Kai Forbath 22-yard field goal, 0:09. Panthers 14–13. Drive: 11 plays, 64 yards, 2:26.
Third quarter
CAR – Devin Funchess 18-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 8:51. Panthers 21–13. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 6:18.
CAR – Graham Gano 41-yard field goal, 6:57. Panthers 24–13. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 1:37.
Fourth quarter
MIN – Adam Thielen 52-yard pass from Case Keenum (Blake Bell pass from Case Keenum), 5:47. Panthers 24–21 Drive: 4 plays, 73 yards, 1:28.
MIN – Kai Forbath 27-yard field goal, 3:11. Tied 24–24. Drive: 4 plays, −3 yards, 1:29.
CAR – Jonathan Stewart 1-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 1:50. Panthers 31–24. Drive: 5 plays, 75 yards, 1:20.
Top passers
MIN – Case Keenum – 27/44, 280 yards, 2 TD, 2 INT
CAR – Cam Newton – 13/25, 137 yards, TD, INT
Top rushers
MIN – Jerick McKinnon – 7 rushes, 46 yards
CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 16 rushes, 103 yards, 3 TD
Top receivers
MIN – Adam Thielen – 6 receptions, 105 yards, TD
CAR – Devin Funchess – 3 receptions, 59 yards, TD :
In a game featuring two of the NFC's best teams, Carolina was able to hold off the Vikings and win 31–24. The Panthers improved to 9–4.

#### Week 15: vs. Green Bay Packers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Packers | 7 | 7 | 3 | 7 | 24 |
| Panthers | 7 | 3 | 14 | 7 | 31 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: December 17
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
* Game weather: 51 °F (11 °C), partly cloudy
* Game attendance: 74,447
* Referee: Craig Wrolstad
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
CAR – Christian McCaffrey 7-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 6:02. Panthers 7–0. Drive: 15 plays, 85 yards, 7:35.
GB – Davante Adams 13-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 0:04. Tied 7–7. Drive: 11 plays, 75 yards, 5:57.
Second quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 33-yard field goal, 9:06. Panthers 10–7. Drive: 12 plays, 61 yards, 5:58.
GB – Randall Cobb 33-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 0:39. Packers 14–10. Drive: 4 plays, 58 yards, 1:29.
Third quarter
CAR – Greg Olsen 30-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 11:39. Panthers 17–14. Drive: 7 plays, 73 yards, 3:26.
CAR – Damiere Byrd 18-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 7:28. Panthers 24–14. Drive: 7 plays, 49 yards, 3:28.
GB – Mason Crosby 28-yard field goal, 1:27. Panthers 24–17. Drive: 12 plays, 47 yards, 3:51.
Fourth quarter
CAR – Damiere Byrd 13-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 12:29. Panthers 31–17. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 3:59.
GB – Richard Rodgers 24-yard pass from Aaron Rodgers (Mason Crosby kick), 2:48. Panthers 31–24. Drive: 6 plays, 76 yards, 1:11.
GB – Aaron Rodgers – 26/45, 290 yards, 3 TD, 3 INT
CAR – Cam Newton – 20/31, 242 yards, 4 TD
Top rushers
GB – Aaron Jones – 3 rushes, 47 yards
CAR – Christian McCaffrey – 12 rushes, 63 yards
Top receivers
GB – Randall Cobb – 7 receptions, 84 yards, TD
CAR – Greg Olsen – 9 receptions, 116 yards, TD :
The Panthers spoiled Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers' return by intercepting three passes and winning 31–24. They also improved to 10–4. A few hours after the game ended, owner Jerry Richardson announced he was putting the Panthers up for sale.

#### Week 16: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Buccaneers | 3 | 6 | 7 | 3 | 19 |
| Panthers | 3 | 9 | 3 | 7 | 22 |
at Bank of America Stadium, Charlotte, North Carolina
* Date: December 24
* Game time: 1:00 pm. EST
* Game weather: 55 °F (13 °C), cloudy
* Game attendance: 71,463
* Referee: Jerome Boger
* TV announcers (Fox): Kenny Albert, Ronde Barber and Kristina Pink
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 25-yard field goal, 8:13. Panthers 3–0. Drive: 7 plays, 26 yards, 3:55.
TB – Patrick Murray 31-yard field goal, 2:24. Tied 3–3. Drive: 11 plays, 63 yards, 5:49.
Second quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 28-yard field goal, 8:38. Panthers 6–3. Drive: 10 plays, 71 yards, 4:58.
TB – Patrick Murray 41-yard field goal, 2:58. Tied 6–6. Drive: 6 plays, 61 yards, 2:18.
CAR – Damiere Byrd 103-yard kickoff return (kick failed), 2:43. Panthers 12–6.
TB – Patrick Murray 21-yard field goal, 0:02. Panthers 12–9. Drive: 9 plays, 72 yards, 2:41.
Third quarter
TB – Bobo Wilson 18-yard pass from Jameis Winston (Patrick Murray kick), 10:27. Buccaneers 16–12. Drive: 3 plays, 49 yards, 1:01.
CAR – Graham Gano 30-yard field goal, 4:49. Buccaneers 16–15. Drive: 12 plays, 68 yards, 5:38.
Fourth quarter
TB – Patrick Murray 26-yard field goal, 14:57. Buccaneers 19–15. Drive: 10 plays, 67 yards, 4:52.
CAR – Cam Newton 2-yard run (Graham Gano kick), 0:35. Panthers 22–19. Drive: 10 plays, 59 yards, 2:25.
Top passers
TB – Jameis Winston – 21/27, 367 yards, TD
CAR – Cam Newton – 16/25, 160 yards, INT
Top rushers
TB – Peyton Barber – 13 rushes, 51 yards
CAR – Cam Newton – 14 rushes, 52 yards, TD
Top receivers
TB – Mike Evans – 6 receptions, 107 yards
CAR – Brenton Bersin – 3 receptions, 45 yards :
With the close win, the Panthers clinched a playoff spot for the fourth time in five years. They also improved to 11–4.

#### Week 17: at Atlanta Falcons

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 7 | 0 | 3 | 10 |
| Falcons | 7 | 0 | 6 | 9 | 22 |
at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, Atlanta, Georgia
* Date: December 31
* Game time: 4:25 pm. EST
* Game weather: Played indoors (retractable roof closed)
* Game attendance: 74,141
* Referee: Bill Vinovich
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
First quarter
ATL – Devonta Freeman 19-yard pass from Matt Ryan (Matt Bryant kick), 10:39. Falcons 7–0. Drive: 10 plays, 75 yards, 4:28.
Second quarter
CAR – Devin Funchess 4-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 0:55. Tied 7–7. Drive: 16 plays, 78 yards, 8:25.
Third quarter
ATL – Matt Bryant 30-yard field goal, 6:35. Falcons 10–7. Drive: 13 plays, 68 yards, 6:55.
ATL – Matt Bryant 42-yard field goal, 3:49. Falcons 13–7. Drive: 5 plays, 15 yards, 2:00.
Fourth quarter
ATL – Matt Bryant 30-yard field goal, 14:15. Falcons 16–7. Drive: 8 plays, 60 yards, 3:26.
CAR – Graham Gano 42-yard field goal, 10:38. Falcons 16–10. Drive: 7 plays, 51 yards, 3:37.
ATL – Matt Bryant 56-yard field goal, 6:43. Falcons 19–10. Drive: 8 plays, 37 yards, 3:57.
ATL – Matt Bryant 33-yard field goal, 2:31. Falcons 22–10. Drive: 4 plays, 8 yards, 1:41.
Top passers
CAR – Cam Newton – 14/34, 180 yards, TD, 3 INT
ATL – Matt Ryan – 28/45, 317 yards, TD
Top rushers
CAR – Cam Newton – 11 rushes, 59 yards
ATL – Tevin Coleman – 11 rushes, 23 yards
ATL – Devonta Freeman – 11 rushes, 23 yards
Top receivers
CAR – Devin Funchess – 2 receptions, 48 yards, TD
ATL – Devonta Freeman – 9 receptions, 85 yards, TD :
The Panthers went to Atlanta with a chance to win the NFC South. If Tampa Bay beat New Orleans and Carolina won, the Panthers would win the title. Despite Tampa's victory over the Saints, the Panthers lost 22–10, making the Saints NFC South champions. The Panthers ended the regular season with an 11–5 record.

### Standings
#### Division

NFC South :
| viewtalkedit | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | PF | PA | STK |
| $^{(4)}$ New Orleans Saints | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 8–4 | 448 | 326 | L1 |
| $^{(5)}$ Carolina Panthers | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 3–3 | 7–5 | 363 | 327 | L1 |
| $^{(6)}$ Atlanta Falcons | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 9–3 | 353 | 315 | W1 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | 335 | 382 | W1 |

#### Conference

NFCvte :
| # | Team | Division | W | L | T | PCT | DIV | CONF | SOS | SOV | STK |
| Division leaders ||||||||||||
| 1 | Philadelphia Eagles | East | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .461 | .433 | L1 |
| 2 | Minnesota Vikings | North | 13 | 3 | 0 | .813 | 5–1 | 10–2 | .492 | .447 | W3 |
| 3 | Los Angeles Rams | West | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .504 | .460 | L1 |
| 4 | New Orleans Saints | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 4–2 | 8–4 | .535 | .483 | L1 |
| Wild Cards ||||||||||||
| 5 | Carolina Panthers | South | 11 | 5 | 0 | .688 | 3–3 | 7–5 | .539 | .500 | L1 |
| 6 | Atlanta Falcons | South | 10 | 6 | 0 | .625 | 4–2 | 9–3 | .543 | .475 | W1 |
| Did not qualify for the postseason ||||||||||||
| 7 | Detroit Lions | North | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 8–4 | .496 | .368 | W1 |
| 8 | Seattle Seahawks | West | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 4–2 | 7–5 | .492 | .444 | L1 |
| 9 | Dallas Cowboys | East | 9 | 7 | 0 | .563 | 5–1 | 7–5 | .496 | .438 | W1 |
| 10 | Arizona Cardinals | West | 8 | 8 | 0 | .500 | 3–3 | 5–7 | .488 | .406 | W2 |
| 11 | Green Bay Packers | North | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 2–4 | 5–7 | .539 | .357 | L3 |
| 12 | Washington Redskins | East | 7 | 9 | 0 | .438 | 1–5 | 5–7 | .539 | .429 | L1 |
| 13 | San Francisco 49ers | West | 6 | 10 | 0 | .375 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .512 | .438 | W5 |
| 14 | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | South | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 1–5 | 3–9 | .555 | .375 | W1 |
| 15 | Chicago Bears | North | 5 | 11 | 0 | .313 | 0–6 | 1–11 | .559 | .500 | L1 |
| 16 | New York Giants | East | 3 | 13 | 0 | .188 | 1–5 | 1–11 | .531 | .458 | W1 |
| Tiebreakers ||||||||||||
| 1 2 Philadelphia claimed the No. 1 seed over Minnesota based on winning percentage vs. common opponents. Philadelphia's cumulative record against Carolina, Chicago, the Los Angeles Rams and Washington was 5–0, compared to Minnesota's 4–1 cumulative record against the same four teams. 1 2 LA Rams claimed the No. 3 seed over New Orleans based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 New Orleans clinched the NFC South division over Carolina based on head-to-head sweep. 1 2 3 Detroit finished ahead of Dallas and Seattle based on conference record, while Seattle finished ahead of Dallas based on head-to-head victory. 1 2 Green Bay finished ahead of Washington based on record vs. common opponents. Green Bay's cumulative record against Dallas, Minnesota, New Orleans and Seattle was 2–3, compared to Washington's 1–4 cumulative record against the same four teams. 1 2 Tampa Bay finished ahead of Chicago based on head-to-head victory. ↑ When breaking ties for three or more teams under the NFL's rules, they are first broken within divisions, then comparing only the highest-ranked remaining team from each division. ||||||||||||

## Postseason
### Schedule

| Round | Date | Opponent (seed) | Result | Record | Venue | Recap |
| Wild Card | January 7, 2018 | at New Orleans Saints (4) | L 26–31 | 0–1 | Mercedes-Benz Superdome | Recap |

### Game summaries
#### NFC Wild Card Playoffs: at (4) New Orleans Saints

| Quarter | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | Total |
| Panthers | 0 | 9 | 3 | 14 | 26 |
| Saints | 7 | 14 | 3 | 7 | 31 |
at Mercedes-Benz Superdome, New Orleans, Louisiana
* Date: January 7
* Game time: 4:40 p.m. EST/3:40 p.m. CST
* Game weather: Played indoors (dome stadium)
* Game attendance: 73,186
* Referee: Tony Corrente
* TV announcers (Fox): Joe Buck, Troy Aikman and Erin Andrews
* Recap, Gamebook
Game information :
1st quarter
NO – Ted Ginn Jr. 80-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 1:46. Saints 7–0. Drive: 2 plays, 80 yards, 0:18.
2nd quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 27-yard field goal, 14:12. Saints 7–3. Drive: 6 plays, 66 yards, 2:34.
NO – Josh Hill 9-yard pass from Drew Brees (Wil Lutz kick), 9:04. Saints 14–3. Drive: 9 plays, 75 yards, 5:08.
CAR – Graham Gano 39-yard field goal, 2:47. Saints 14–6. Drive: 12 plays, 54 yards, 6:17.
NO – Zach Line 1-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 0:43. Saints 21–6. Drive: 8 plays, 75 yards, 2:04.
CAR – Graham Gano 58-yard field goal, 0:00. Saints 21–9. Drive: 5 plays, 35 yards, 0:43.
3rd quarter
CAR – Graham Gano 29-yard field goal, 10:58. Saints 21–12. Drive: 9 plays, 64 yards, 4:02.
NO – Wil Lutz 57-yard field goal, 6:05. Saints 24–12. Drive: 10 plays, 36 yards, 4:53.
4th quarter
CAR – Greg Olsen 14-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 12:47. Saints 24–19. Drive: 8 plays, 68 yards, 3:45.
NO – Alvin Kamara 2-yard run (Wil Lutz kick), 5:08. Saints 31–19. Drive: 5 plays, 62 yards, 3:02.
CAR – Christian McCaffrey 56-yard pass from Cam Newton (Graham Gano kick), 4:09. Saints 31–26. Drive: 3 plays, 75 yards, 0:59.
Top passers
CAR – Cam Newton – 24/40, 349 yards, 2 TD
NO – Drew Brees – 23/33, 376 yards, 2 TD, INT
Top rushers
CAR – Jonathan Stewart – 11 rushes, 51 yards
NO – Alvin Kamara – 10 rushes, 23 yards, TD
Top receivers
CAR – Greg Olsen – 8 receptions, 107 yards, TD
NO – Michael Thomas – 8 receptions, 131 yards :
Carolina looked to beat New Orleans for the first time all season. Carolina's defense played better than in the past games, holding the Saints dynamic running backs to under 100 yards combined. Saints quarterback Drew Brees threw a crucial interception late, but the Panthers comeback fell just short and they lost 26–31. The Panthers ended the Wild Card Weekend with an 11–6 record.