Sunday afternoon proved to be a big day for the San Francisco 49ers' playoff hopes, and it partially came from a most unusual source.
The first major outcome, of course, was the Niners grabbing their first victory in Cleveland since Nov. 11, 1984, pushing their record to 9-4 heading into next week's bye. The Seattle Seahawk's win over the Minnesota Vikings later in the afternoon pulled the Hawks into a tie for first place with the Los Angeles Rams, leaving the Niners a half game behind both teams.
And that was all made possible by the Carolina Panthers, who thankfully, didn't hold a grudge against the 49ers after Monday night.