Who Should Panthers Fans Root For in Week 4?
Playoff chance 23% · NFC South chance 20%
Besides a Panthers win, root for the Falcons over the Saints and the Packers over the Buccaneers.
The Panthers are 1-2, with a 23% chance to make the playoffs and a 20% chance to win the NFC South. Most games this week barely change their chances. These three matter most:
- A Panthers win over the Lions raises their playoff chance to 28%. A loss drops it to 18%.
- A Falcons win over the Saints raises the Panthers’ playoff chance to 24%. A Saints win drops it to 22%.
- A Packers win over the Buccaneers raises the Panthers’ playoff chance to 24%. A Buccaneers win drops it to 22%.
Panthers Week 4 Rooting Guide: Playoff Chance by Game
| Gamethis week | Root forthe result that helps | Impactsize of the swing | Changeplayoff chance | Whythe rival it hurts most |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lions at Panthers | Panthers | High | 18% → 28% | — |
| Falcons at Saints | Falcons | Low | 22% → 24% | A Falcons win lowers New Orleans’s playoff chance by 20 points. |
| Packers at Buccaneers | Packers | Low | 22% → 24% | A Packers win lowers Tampa Bay’s playoff chance by 10 points. |
| Jets at Bears | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
| Cowboys at Texans | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
| Broncos at 49ers | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
| Rams at Eagles | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
| Chargers at Seahawks | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
| Dolphins at Vikings | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
| Cardinals at Giants | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
| Colts at Commanders | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
| Jaguars at Bengals | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
| Chiefs at Raiders | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
| Titans at Ravens | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
| Patriots at Bills | Either | Either | Under 1 point | — |
Panthers Week 4 Games Already Played: Result and Effect
How Panthers Week 4 Chances Are Calculated: 10,000 Seasons
MockSlate plays out the rest of the 2026 season 10,000 times from the current standings, using its team ratings for every game still to play. Each simulated season also varies every team’s rating to allow for uncertainty in team strength. For each game this week it does that twice, once with each team winning, and keeps every other result the same, so the only difference is that game. The change in the Panthers’ chances between the two is the game’s impact. A change under 1 point shows as Either. Playoff spots and division titles follow the league’s tiebreaker procedure; ties are not played out, and a tie that comes down to a coin toss is split between the tied teams. In a backtest of this simulator on 11,776 team-weeks from 2003 to 2025, teams given under a 1% chance made the playoffs 0 times in 1,671.
Panthers Playoff Chances in Week 4: Questions
- Who should Panthers fans root for in Week 4?
- Besides a Panthers win, root for the Falcons over the Saints and the Packers over the Buccaneers. A Panthers win over the Lions raises their playoff chance to 28%. A loss drops it to 18%. A Falcons win over the Saints raises the Panthers’ playoff chance to 24%. A Saints win drops it to 22%. A Packers win over the Buccaneers raises the Panthers’ playoff chance to 24%. A Buccaneers win drops it to 22%.
- What are the Panthers’ playoff chances?
- 23% to make the playoffs and 20% to win the NFC South, before this week’s remaining games. MockSlate plays out the rest of the 2026 season 10,000 times from the current standings.
- How does the NFL Rooting Guide work?
- For each game this week, MockSlate plays out the rest of the season 10,000 times with the home team winning and 10,000 times with the away team winning, keeping every other result the same. The difference in a team’s chances is that game’s impact. A change under 1 point shows as Either.
Which Panthers games can still be flexed →
All 32 teams’ rooting guides →
Updated: October 2, 2026 at 5:06 AM ET