The Carolina Panthers were less than 15 minutes away from taking a monumental step towards their first NFC South title in seven years. But an 11-point lead in the fourth quarter simply wasn’t enough.
Tom Brady and his Tampa Bay Buccaneers made yet another late surge here in 2022, this time claiming interim head coach Steve Wilks and his cats as their unfortunate victims. A 20-point rally would push the Bucs to a 30-24 win and the Panthers out of playoff contention in what was a heartbreaking afternoon.
Here’s how the Carolina faithful has responded to the fateful loss.
Keith Taylor and CJ Henderson at the Panthers facility tomorrow: pic.twitter.com/dz1p7Z1H4c
— finesse 🌟💫 (@finesseboard) January 1, 2023
When the @Panthers sent out playoff tickets pic.twitter.com/LU8fBLQePO
— Tom (@tomcorcoran4) January 1, 2023
Great effort
— Jonathan Stewart (@Jonathanstewar1) January 1, 2023
Well this was a good season, we finished wayyyy closer to the playoffs than we expected! Dropped unnecessary luggage. We gotta be honest & be proud of what this team showed & how Wilks willed this team to fighting for the playoffs. Can’t wait to see what Wilks can do full time!👏🏾
— Tre Boston (@TreBos10) January 1, 2023
Cam Newton’s return was fun, bringing Wilks to lead these underdogs to a playoff run was inspirational, and getting Josh Norman back was nostalgic.
But I lowkey want to start anew and clean and not always dig back from the same well
— Edgar Salmingo, Jr. ✌️ (@PanthersAnalyst) January 1, 2023
Welp #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/O4kDD0avuM
— Karisma THE™️ Supreme (@_KTS_) January 1, 2023
I'm proud of the @Panthers Happy to see them #KeepPounding through to the end 💙
— SullySullz 💙 (@SullySullz) January 1, 2023
Thank you Coach Wilks for giving me a gotdamn meaningful football game to actually be excited about in January. #KeepPounding
— SalesMan (@95KeepPounding) January 1, 2023
Ah this feeling is familiar, still proud of the Panthers for fighting. Thank you to Steve Wilks and the @Panthers for giving us hope again. #KeepPounding
— Travis Manasco, MD (@AlacrityMD) January 2, 2023
On October 1 the our fanbase were making plans for the #1 overall pick.
On January 1 the our team was one good quarter away from being in control of the NFC South.
While sifting through the leftovers of Rhule the roster found thier identity and culture.
Wilks is the one.
— Kevin Avery (@4MR_KountryKev) January 2, 2023
Not the victory Monday I wanted. But the Panthers played a January football game with playoff implications. Credit to Steve Wilks for salvaging this season with limited resources and bringing back that excitement. #removethetag
— The 4 Man Rush (@4ourmanrush) January 2, 2023
