CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- They've won only six games -- at least three less than any other division leader. Their quarterback is playing with two broken bones in his back, which he suffered in a scary automobile accident 12 days ago. One of their best defensive players has been at home since before the third game, while awaiting a 2015 trial for domestic violence.
Yet come Sunday at the Georgia Dome in Atlanta, the Carolina Panthers (6-8-1) will play the Falcons (6-9) for the NFC South title and a home playoff game.
"Like I said a few weeks ago, it'll make for a nice made-for-TV movie if we go ahead all the way through to the big dance," fullback Mike Tolbert said after Sunday's 17-13 victory over the Cleveland Browns gave Carolina three straight wins and the division lead.
"It's going to be fun to see what happens."
Yes, Tolbert was referring to the Super Bowl.
It sounds crazy to mention Panthers and anything "super" in the same breath. This is a team that four weeks ago was given up for dead at 3-8-1. Tight end Greg Olsen admitted after a 31-13 loss at Minnesota, "Right now, we're not very good."
The Panthers still aren't very good. Sunday's win was perhaps uglier than the 19-17 victory over Tampa Bay the previous week. But at least now they're making the plays to win instead of to lose.
"When you don't play well, you deserve to lose," Olsen said in reference to his Nov. 30 comments. "It's very frustrating to play below what your expectations are. At that point and time, we weren't very good. We were playing like a bad team. Now we're playing like a better team. It's funny: When you play better, you win."
The Panthers still are doing bad things. They failed to score once again in the red zone on their second possession, after first-and-goal at the Cleveland 5. Quarterback Cam Newton had a bad interception when he should have thrown the ball away.
The defense gave up an 81-yard touchdown catch -- to a tight end -- because players didn't rotate quickly enough. Cornerback Josh Norman fumbled after making a spectacular interception that kept the Browns in the game.
Special teams continue to have breakdowns in terms of penalties and lengthy kick returns.
But the Panthers also are doing good things. The offense produced 209 yards rushing, for the second time in three games it has surpassed 200 yards. It has averaged 194.7 yards rushing the past four games.
The defense is giving up only an average of 13.3 points the past three games. Cleveland gained only 228 total yards, and 81 of that came on the busted play.
"You just have to win the day," Newton said after he completed 18 of 31 pass attempts for 201 yards and a touchdown and rushed 12 times for 63 yards and a touchdown. "You can't look back at what you've done. You can't look forward at what's up ahead. You just have to seize each and every moment. Carpe diem."
Again, it's not pretty. Newton admitted, "We didn't put a lot of great things out there at times."
But it is winning football, and it is similar to what the Panthers did a year ago, when the record was much prettier at 12-4.
"I'm not going to put an adjective on it," Tolbert said. "A win is a win."
The Panthers are one win from going to the playoffs in consecutive seasons for the first time in franchise history.
"It's definitely not how we planned it, but it's what we're working toward," coach Ron Rivera said. "In spite of the things we have gone through, the situations and certain things we have been in, we have put ourselves in position. It all comes down to one game, and that is all we can ask for."
