NFL Power Rankings, Week 17: Cowboys inch toward playoffs, Chiefs clinch home field

The Carolina Panthers are out of the playoffs this season, but that doesn’t mean they can’t still play a part in the postseason. That was the case this weekend as they were on the road for a game against the Washington Football Team.

Before the game, there were some solid emotions shared as the Panthers were facing Ron Rivera for the first time since he was let go by the franchise. Rivera was beloved in Charlotte and the Panthers had ‘Rivera Strong’ shirts to show respect to the coach’s fight against cancer.

As for the actual game, the Panthers put their respect for Rivera aside and made sure to throw a wrench in his plans to get Washington to the playoffs. Carolina controlled the game from the start, scoring on a fumble recovery on special teams from Brandon Zylstra. Mike Davis then scored a touchdown from one-yard out on the ground and Robby Anderson had a 14-yard catch for a touchdown from Teddy Bridgewater.

That gave the Panthers a 20-0 lead at the half and they spent the final 30 minutes trying to keep Washington from catching up. A touchdown with less than two minutes to go from J.D. McKissic made it 20-13, but Washington never got it back as Carolina improved to 5-10 and made life hard on the Football Team.