‘Might buy a Falcons jersey.’ Panthers, many others weigh in on playoff berth

A few minutes after it was set in stone that the Carolina Panthers were playoff-bound, one social media savvy Panthers rookie took to the internet.

He posed … a question.

“Might go buy a Falcons jersey,” outside linebacker Princely Umanmielen wrote on X. “Too far?”

If the rest of NFL media any indication, that’s not far enough.

The Panthers (8-9) moonwalked into the NFL postseason after the Atlanta Falcons defeated the New Orleans Saints on Sunday afternoon. A Falcons victory was the last path the Panthers could take to the NFC South crown and a playoff berth — and they got it. Atlanta finished 8-9, causing a three-way tie among the Falcons, the Bucs and the Panthers for first place, and the Panthers came out on top after tiebreakers.

That all means that the Panthers are in the NFL playoffs for the first time since 2017 and are hosting a playoff game in Bank of America Stadium for the first time since 2015. Carolina will open against the Los Angeles Rams (12-5) at 4:30 p.m. Saturday (FOX).

Such a turn of events led to a celebratory outpouring online, from fans to players to media personalities. Enjoy reading these several voices across the NFL below.

Chad Ochocinco knew it all along

Legendary receiver and NFL analyst Chad Ochocinco has been an ardent supporter for the Panthers back in the training camp days. And he flexed his loyalty on Sunday.

Robert Hunt, Damien Lewis join Umanmielen in Panthers celebrating

The two Panthers’ offensive linemen kept it simple.

Carolina Panthers social media getting in on the action

Jonathan Stewart is talking ‘playoffs’

Jonathan Stewart, the Panthers’ all-time leading rusher, showed his live reaction to the Falcons recovering an onside kick and sealing the Panthers’ playoff fate: “And there you have it ladies and gentlemen. … Keep Pounding!”

Panthers fans having fun

Just some good vibes … “I think we ain’t done yet.”

Here’s a very inside-baseball joke featuring former general manager Scott Fitterer, who brought players to the Panthers and later made plays on Sunday to contribute to the Falcons’ win and thus Carolina’s playoff berth:

Many Panthers fans traveled to Atlanta to watch the consequential Falcons-Saints game in person. FOX caught some on its broadcast:

The Crown Club is one of the strongest and most resilient fan groups in the country — by virtue of supporting the Hornets. But the group showed some love to the Panthers after the Falcons’ win.

The group also offered a suggestion that would surely hype this fan base up.

And then here’s a fun one for the Panthers fans who are willing to … as head coach Dave Canales on occasion says … “dream a little bit.”

This story was originally published January 4, 2026 at 7:59 PM.