The lone spot still up for grabs in the NFC is the South crown as the Panthers and Buccaneers continue to battle for the division championship. An upset win by Carolina over Seattle Sunday, and loss by Tampa Bay to Miami, would give the Panthers the division title. A loss, however, would set up a winner-takes-all match-up in Week 18.

With the Lions losing on Christmas Day in Minnesota, the NFC playoff field is nearly set. The NFC's postseason qualifiers are the Seahawks, Bears, Eagles, Rams, 49ers, Packers, and the eventual winner of the NFC South.

The Panthers earned a home victory over the Buccaneers to take control of the NFC South heading into Week 17. Here's a look at the division standings.

Tyler Sullivan of CBS Sports put together a little exercise in terms of overreactions from the last week of games. This past Sunday, the Panthers edged the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 23-20, at Charlotte. It raised their record to 8-7, and put them in undisputed first place at the top of their division, just one game ahead of the 7-8 Bucs.

With that in mind, let's jump into the picks as we go through the uber-talented NFC South.

And just like that, the Buccaneers are back on top of the NFC South at 7-7 with three weeks left in the season. The Panthers will host the Bucs in Week 16 with a chance to retake the division lead. The two NFC South rivals will then face off once more in Week 18.

The Carolina Panthers have taken control of the NFC South after clinching a 23-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday.

After a pivotal win over Tampa Bay, Carolina enters the season’s final stretch in control of its playoff fate, with head coach Dave Canales reflecting on a preseason belief that his team would become a difficult opponent.