The Carolina Panthers are riding on the crest of a wave right now. They may have lost in the wild-card round, but head coach Dave Canales' squad emerged with exceptional credit for pushing the Los Angeles Rams right to the limit.
Attention now turns to the offseason. And the Panthers got their first massive win quickly without lifting a finger.
There was trepidation among the fan base when the Atlanta Falcons became a strong contender to hire John Harbaugh after his prolific spell with the Baltimore Ravens concluded. The respected leader of men narrowed his shortlist down to three teams, according to reports, and Carolina's bitter NFC South rival was one of them.