FINAL POWER RANKINGS:Carolina's Week 17 win helped reclaim the top spot in the majority of power rankings, including NFL.com, ESPN, Sports Illustrated, USA Today, SB Nation, Yahoo! Sports, MMQB and CBS Sports. TB-CAR GAME GRADES:According to Michael Renner of Pro Football Focus, quarterback Cam Newton likely secured NFL MVP with his Week 17 performance vs. Tampa Bay. Defensive end Jared Allen was the Panthers' highest-graded player after recording three hurries and four stops in the run game. READ MORE
HOW WE GOT HERE: Look back at the best regular season in franchise history, which included an NFL-best 15-1 record, NFC South title and franchise-record 10 Pro Bowl players. Watch the video below.
LIFE IN THE PRESS BOX:Erik Spanberg of the Charlotte Business Journal provides an inside perspective on what it's like to cover the Panthers. READ MORE
THE SWAGGER IS BACK:Ron Rivera was pleased to see the attitude and intensity return to his team in the final week of the regular season. READ MORE
PANTHERS REPORT CARD:Joe Person of the Charlotte Observer gives Carolina high marks for their Week 17 performance. READ MORE
View the top photos by photographer Kent Smith from Carolina's game against Tampa Bay.