The NFL playoff race begins during week one of the regular season, but it doesn’t get interesting until about weeks nine and ten. There’s usually at least two teams with a perfect record or just one loss that effectively take the inside lane for the rest of the year.
They’re fun to watch and everybody wants to see those teams lose. The teams with three or four losses, however, are a little more interesting to watch because other team performances weigh heavily on their chances of making the playoffs.
The Carolina Panthers belong to the latter category and the loss to Packers made their playoff case even more difficult to control as they fell behind the Eagles in the playoff race.