Panthers Win NFC South Championship and the NFC's No. 2 Seed

The Carolina Panthers are deserving NFC South champions.

They became the only NFC South team to win a divisional game on the road all season. Heading into today, the Panthers, Falcons, Buccaneers and Saints all won their home games against other division foes. That extra victory gave the Panthers the division title.

Today, Carolina went into New Orleans and beat the Saints, 33-31, breaking that streak. They also become the only NFC South team win a winning division record.

With the win comes the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs and a first round bye. The Panthers can use the week off to get guys healthy before hosting the Vikings, Cardinals or Falcons in two weeks.

This is the third time the Panthers have won their division and their fourth playoff appearance. All three previous trips saw Carolina in the NFC title game (against the Packers in 1995; the Eagles in 2003; the Seahawks in 2005) with the Panthers reaching Super Bowl XXXVIII.

This has been a magical season for the Panthers. Their 12-4 record matches a franchise best (1995). DeAngelo Williams also set the team's record for rushing yards in a single season. Williams and Jonathan Stewart combined to be only the fourth set of teammates in NFL history to both rush for 10 or more touchdowns in a season.

The Panthers also were the only team in the NFL to win all eight of their home games this year.

These things are all nice and dandy but the ring is the thing. What is a bye and a home playoff game worth if you can't get to the Super Bowl and win it?