CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- Nobody apparently wants to win the NFC South. The Carolina Panthers had a chance to seize control after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers squandered a 14-point fourth-quarter lead and lost to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. All the Panthers had to do was beat the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, then the Bucs at home, and their seven-year playoff drought would be over. Instead, the inconsistencies that have haunted Carolina all season led to it squandering a 10-point second-half lead in a 20-17 loss. The game-winning 47-yard field goal with two seconds left was symbolic of how up and down this season has been. It was set up by a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty -- the last...
