The Carolina Panthers couldn’t capture the NFC South on the field at Raymond James Stadium on Saturday. Instead, they did it from the comfort of their own couches this afternoon.

Sunday’s win by the Atlanta Falcons, a 19-17 triumph over the New Orleans Saints, officially clinched the Panthers their first playoff berth since 2017 and their first division title since 2015. The Atlanta victory helped make up for Carolina’s deflating result from last night, a 16-14 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Head coach Dave Canales, after watching the Falcons hold off the Saints, took some time out to chat with reporters this evening.

“I’m just so excited for Panthers fans everywhere,” Canales stated. “The neighborhood is crazy. We were yelling from our couch, as a family. Walked outside where we normally ride bikes and walk the dogs and there were just neighbors in the front yards. Everyone was really excited.”

The 8-9 Panthers, by way of their round-robin head-to-head record against the 8-9 Buccaneers and the 8-9 Falcons, came out on top of the three-way tie for the NFC South. Carolina has also become the first franchise in NFL history to make the playoffs with a losing record twice, having already done it at 7-8-1 in 2014.

Canales was later asked about what the division crown means for the organization.

“It’s about process, it’s about mentality,” Canales replied. “We talk about attacking every game as a championship opportunity. And over the course of a season, we stacked together enough wins in our division, outside of division, to prepare us for this. So now, we take the next step.”

Canales is now the third head coach in franchise history to lead the Panthers to the playoffs in his second season, joining Dom Capers and John Fox.

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This article originally appeared on Panthers Wire: Panthers HC Dave Canales comments on winning the NFC South title