The Carolina Panthers better come up with a win next week against the New Orleans Saints or make no mistake, they’re in trouble come the postseason.

The Panthers are currently 11-4 on the season, but all four of their losses have come on the road. Granted, they do have impressive road wins against San Diego and Green Bay, but they needed late rallies in each game to come away victorious. It was easy to fall in love with Panthers when they thumped Tampa Bay and Denver the past two weeks, but each of those victories came at home and against teams that are fading fast.

Carolina lost the chance to play at home throughout the playoffs when they choked away a victory in New York Sunday night. The Giants came from behind multiple times in the second have to edge the Panthers 34-28 in overtime. The win allowed the G-Men to clinch the No. 1 seed and while the Panthers control their own destiny for the No. 2 seed, they left the door open for the Falcons to sneak through the backdoor.

With their 24-17 win over Minnesota, the Falcons just need a win over the Rams at home next week and a Panther loss in New Orleans to win the NFC South. Amazingly, Atlanta could go from out of the playoffs entering Week 16, to clinching the No. 2 seed at the end of the regular season.

But back to the Panthers – they need to win next week against the Saints. With their running game and the threat of Steve Smith taking it to the house every time he touches the ball, they’re every bit of a Super Bowl contender. But not if they have to go on the road to do so. NFC South teams are 0-11 on the road this year against other NFC South opponents and with Drew Brees going for Dan Mario’s record for most passing yards in a season, the Saints aren’t going to just hand Carolina a victory.

So essentially, a trip to the NFC Championship Game might be on the line this week for the Panthers in New Orleans.

If you can’t appreciate the 2008 Atlanta Falcons season, than you probably won’t appreciate most sports stories.

Following a year in which they went 4-12, lost the face of their franchise to federal prison for dog fighting and their head coach to the University of Arkansas in the middle of the night, the Falcons are heading back to the playoffs for the first time since 2004 thanks to a 24-17 win over the Vikings on Sunday.

For everyone who said Arthur Blank was too involved as an owner for the Falcons to succeed, how do you feel now? Instead of throwing his hands up in the air and bailing like that gutless wonder Bobby Petrino did, Blank hung tough and got back to work this offseason. He hired general manager Thomas Dimitroff, who then hired Mike Smith, drafted Matt Ryan and signed free agent Michael Turner. Blank didn’t give up on his franchise and now he’s being rewarded for it.

The Falcons were very fortunate Sunday in Minnesota. The Vikings turned the ball over four times and when Atlanta tried to return the favor with a fumble of their own, they recovered it for a touchdown. Yes, Atlanta could have lost very easily. But so what? It’s about time the ball bounced the way of the Falcons and after a year of suffering one blow after another, they deserved what happened this season.

Who knows whether or not this great story will have a fairytale ending? And actually, it doesn’t matter because the Falcons have already won by showing up this season. They have a great young offensive core in Turner, Ryan and Roddy White, an improving defense, a general manager who gets how to build a winner and a solid football coach to keep everything running smoothly. More importantly, they have an owner that is willing to do anything to succeed.

Thanks in large part to Blank, the Falcons are the best story in the NFL this season and somehow, someway, are heading to the playoffs.