hepcat

Nope. There is no reason to call anything the preferred outcome has happened.

This was going to be manages towards a Bucs win no matter what today and the referees made that clear. No matter what happened today, the NFL was going to nudge this game towards Tampa. And we will see New Orleans probably get some preferential treatment as well. The announcers talking about the Falcons Saints game before this one is even over. It was always scripted.

Here comes a 40 yard run to end the game….

It would take an act of god for them not to throw a flag if Tampa turns it over. I expect Tampa to break a long run with some legal holding to end it

They won’t pass. No reason to pass.

You’re correct, if they don’t just convert on their own. The running game for Tampa has been eating the panthers lunch today. I expect a 40 yard run with some allowed holding to end it

That’s exactly what the NFL wanted. The panthers covered the spread. The panthers will not get the ball back.

as I said earlier in the thread the panthers would score a TD to make it 16-14 and they would not get the ball back

If there’s ever a time the refs are giving the Panthers a call it’s on 3rd down here

You might be the most naive person on earth if you don’t think the NFL is managing these games towards the outcome they want. The games can’t be outright rigged, there too much variance in how the games can go, but they definitely use the refs as a lever to nudge the games and push scoring towards preferred outcomes

They will get a TD on this drive, there will be about a minute left, and they won’t get the ball back. 16-14 final score

The Panthers might get a magic call to get within 1-2, which covers the spread.

lol he’s out of bounds but they will call him in

Fans should show up and boo this team when they get back from Tampa. The effort today was pathetic. But the refs were clearly against the team today as well

This game ended exactly how the NFL wanted

Just like the Horn facemask against Seattle, the Panthers gave up after that flea flicker. Game over.

I’ve been pounding the table about the NFL being rigged for years. But now it’s finally obvious especially because of AI analysis able to analyze the historical stats in minutes. It’s painfully clear and in the open now.

They won’t call it on the Panthers down two. The game just ended with the fumble

The refs are going to nudge the game a little back Carolinas way to cover the spread. Panthers will lose by 1 or 2

If you would all like to write a group letter to the NFL, AI analysis has made it clear how unfair the NFL has become, or always has been. It was clear the NFL needed Tampa to win this game, for ratings of tomorrow’s Saints/Falcons game and because the Panthers are not an appealing playoff opponent. But this was even more obvious than I expected.

The Tampa/Carolina game was clearly going to be managed towards a Tampa victory due to giving a ratings boost to the Falcons/Saints game and keeping a poor ratings Panthers team out of the playoffs. The refereeing has been consistent with what I expected and I think it would be worth taking stock that the NFL is an entertainment business. They have no legal obligation to provide fair outcomes. I warned everyone here how much worse it has gotten since sports betting apps became the norm, and here we are.

The Panthers are Jodie Foster on the pinball machine right now

The sad thing is this team is getting dog dicked today and might still host a playoff game. I think that might finally be enough for the NFL to change the rules on division winners. No one wants to watch this Panthers team in the playoffs including many Panthers fans not wanting to see this team get raped by an NFC West team

This might get ugly

Bucs will be getting all the ref help today. The NFL wants that Falcons/Saints game to have viewers. Bucs 24 Panthers 23, Panthers cover the spread and Vegas makes a killing, NFL gets another higher viewership game in the NFCS tomorrow