The Carolina Panthers don’t own their first round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, giving them a peculiar situation as they head into the final stretch of the season. They have been the worst team in the league throughout the year and entered Week 15 with two fewer wins than any other team. Unfortunately for them, they traded away the rights to their first round pick in the upcoming draft, meaning there will be no reward for their losing.

NFL: Panthers Win Puts #1 Pick In Question

PANTHERS WIN! #ATLvsCAR pic.twitter.com/eipdMcMWfT

— NFL (@NFL) December 17, 2023

So at a point in the season when the talk of tanking would intensify, the Panthers have no reason to push in the Caleb Williams Sweepstakes and have been playing to win as much as possible. And they were finally successful on Sunday against the Falcons.

It wasn’t pretty, as there was just one touchdown scored between the Carolina and Atlanta, and none by the winning team. The Panthers finished off the scoring with three Eddy Pineiro field goals, ultimately coming out on top by a score of 9-7. The loss adversely affects the Falcons’ chance of catching the leaders in the NFC South, and puts the Bears’ shot at the #1 overall pick in question.

Can Carolina Win Another Game This Season

The rain never bothered us anyway. pic.twitter.com/9oPBYvvmBp

— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) December 17, 2023

Chicago will be the team making the pick for Carolina next April, and it looked like they were destined to have their choice between the top prospects in the upcoming class. But the win by the Panthers is their second of this NFL season, and both the New England Patriots and Arizona Cardinals are both just within one loss of taking over the “top” spot.

But will Carolina win another game this year Their final three games will be against teams that are fighting for playoff spots and positioning, and Bryce Young and company haven’t even been impressive in the two games that they have managed to win. They’ll take on the Packers on Christmas Eve and will almost certainly be underdogs, and they definitely won’t be favored when they play the Jaguars the following week.

The Bears are currently scheduled to have two picks within the top 5, including their own, which sits at #5 after Week 15’s action around the NFL.