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ATLANTA -- Carolinas blueprint for playoff success has been set: Let the sack-happy defence lead the way and hope dual-threat quarterback Cam Newton can add just enough offence. Newton threw two touchdown passes, Greg Hardy had a team-record four sacks and the Panthers clinched their first NFC South title in five years by beating the Atlanta Falcons 21-20 on Sunday. "Now we can cross that goal off," said linebacker Luke Kuechly. "Now we can concentrate, get guys healthy and get ready to go." Making their first trip to the playoffs since 2008, the Panthers (12-4) secured a first-round bye and home-field advantage for at least one game as the No. 2 seed in the NFC. "Feels outstanding," said Carolina coach Ron Rivera. "Our guys fought all season and did the things we needed to do." Newton said it was important to earn the bye in the playoffs. Wide receiver Steve Smith and running back Jonathan Stewart were inactive with knee injuries. "Weve got a lot of guys that we need back that play an intricate role in making this team go," Newton said. Carolina needed losses by Seattle and Arizona to move up to the No. 1 seed, but the Seahawks beat the Rams 27-9 to secure the top seed. Carolina set a team record by sacking Matt Ryan nine times. The defence also produced the Panthers first touchdown on Melvin Whites 7-yard interception return in the second quarter. "Its about the team," Hardy said when asked about his record. "I know we got the team record and thats all that matters." Hardy said "consistent pressure from everybody" led to the deluge of sacks. Charles Johnson had two, Mike Mitchell, Frank Alexander and Star Lotulelei each added one. Kuechly had a team-leading 10 tackles. Falcons tight end Tony Gonzalez had four catches for 56 yards and was honoured at halftime in his final regular-season game. He has announced plans for retirement. Gonzalez said his farewell game "was great." "Honestly, it went exactly as I thought it would go except for the winning part," Gonzalez said. "We werent able to pull it out. ... My career has turned out to be something more than I ever thought and more than I ever dreamed." Atlanta players spoke during the week about wanting to send Gonzalez out with a win. "They came out with a lot of emotion, they played very hard, they played for one of their leaders today, for Tony today," Rivera said. The Falcons led 10-0 early in the second quarter. Newton recovered from a sluggish start to complete 15 of 27 passes for 149 yards with two touchdowns and one interception. Newton threw scoring passes to Ted Ginn Jr. and Greg Olsen and led the Panthers with 72 yards rushing. The Falcons (4-12) completed their crushing fall from a 13-3 finish and division title in 2012. Ryan hit 28 of 40 passes for 280 yards with one interception and touchdown passes to Jason Snelling and Roddy White. Matt Bryant kicked field goals of 42 and 37 yards, but the Falcons couldnt overcome the nine sacks. "It was tough, theres no doubt about it," Ryan said. "It was a good defence that we were going against and a really good front seven and we made some mistakes. I made some mistakes, too, so some of that was on me. We have to be better than that." On Carolinas first possession of the second quarter, Newtons high pass glanced off Domenik Hixons hands. Safety William Moore made a diving interception to set up Bryants first field goal. After trailing 10-0, the Panthers dominated the remainder of the half and had the better end of an exchange of turnovers. DeAngelo Williams cut through the line for a 56-yard run but fumbled when hit by Robert Alford. Desmond Trufant recovered at the Atlanta 4. The turnover only set up a giveaway by the Falcons. Melvin White stepped in front of Harry Douglas for an interception and touchdown return. A fumbled snap on Atlantas final possession hurt the Falcons hopes for a last-minute scoring drive. Center Joe Hawley snapped the ball as Ryan was at the line, pointing at the Panthers defence and calling the play. "It was just a miscommunication and it wasnt the right time to not be on the same page," Ryan said. NOTES: Paid attendance was 70,427 but there were empty seats throughout the Georgia Dome and a large turnout by Carolina fans. ... Smith sprained his left knee during Carolinas 17-13 win over New Orleans last week and was on the field for pregame warmups. Rivera said Friday he expects Smith to be ready for the playoffs. ... LB Sean Weatherspoon (knee) and RB Jacquizz Rodgers (concussion) were inactive for Atlanta. ... Carolinas record for sacks in a game was 3 1/2 by Johnson at Atlanta on Sept. 30, 2012. John Randle Jersey . The Toronto Argonauts signed the veteran linebacker to a three-year deal Tuesday, hours after the start of CFL free agency. Custom Minnesota Vikings Jerseys . This game was inside. Adrian Peterson was missing. The stage was set for another step toward the playoffs. http://www.authenticvikingspro.com/Fran-tarkenton-vikings-jersey/ . The roster changes have been constant and continuous since late last year, but even with their 46-man roster set for the start of the season, the banged-up Bombers will be kicking off Week 1 with a handful of fresh faces and back-ups in the starting lineup. Brett Favre Jersey ." One game is checked off, 15 remain and the next one to get crossed out could come Tuesday night when the defending champion Heat host the Milwaukee Bucks in Game 2 of their Eastern Conference playoff series. Adrian Peterson Jersey . It has been eleven years, eight months, and 261 days since I played my last CFL game. LOS ANGELES -- For three quarters, the Los Angeles Lakers tempted the sellout crowd at Staples Center into believing they would pull off one of the most improbable upsets of the NBA season. Then Kevin Durant took over and the Lakers got sloppy with the ball, turning it into just another loss in a season full of them for coach Mike DAntonis undermanned squad. Durant scored 19 of his 43 points in the fourth quarter and the Oklahoma City Thunder sent the Lakers to a record-setting seventh straight home loss with a 107-103 victory on Thursday night. "The easy thing to do is look at it like we didnt have the proper focus. But Im not going to go there -- because when you play against an NBA team thats prideful like the Lakers, theyre going to have a good game," Oklahoma City coach Scott Brooks said. The Thunder have a 1 1/2-game lead on Indiana for the NBAs best record. Their 43-12 mark equals the best start in the franchises 47-year history, set by the 1995-96 Seattle Supersonics. Oklahoma City is 20-7 without second-leading scorer Russell Westbrook, who hasnt played since getting a triple-double on Christmas Day at Madison Square Garden. Westbrook is recovering from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. "This whole group, they are resilient," Durant said. "We persevered through everything and just stayed together. We had faith no matter what. We are looking forward to having Russell back and make it seem less of a transition for him." Chris Kaman and Wesley Johnson scored 19 points apiece for Los Angeles, and Kendall Marshall added 14 points and 17 assists. The Lakers have lost 22 of their last 27 games and are tied with Sacramento for last place in the Western Conference. The Thunder, coming off a 98-95 win against Portland in which they held All-Stars LaMarcus Aldridge and Damian Lillard to a combined 1-for-17 from the field in the second half, trailed by as many as 15 points late in the third quarter while Durant missed his first eight attempts from 3-point range. But Durants first 3-pointer of the game cut the Lakers lead to 85-77 in the opening minute of the fourth, triggering a 15-2 run that enabled Oklahoma City to pull ahead 92-87 with 5:46 to play. "He just continued to play the game and do what he has done all season," teammate and former Laker Derek FFisher said.dddddddddddd "He is one of the best I have seen in terms if really just playing through anything and everything." Los Angeles committed seven of its 23 turnovers during the first 4:03 of the final period, and Fisher tied it at 87-all on a 3-pointer. Durant then stole the ball from Johnson and hit a driving layup that gave the Thunder their first lead, 89-87. The five-time All-Star capped the rally with a 3-pointer 32 seconds later. The Lakers came out of the gate like a team that desperately wanted to avoid surpassing the franchise record for consecutive home losses they shared with the 1992-93 squad. They led 54-45 at halftime. "I thought the effort was terrific," DAntoni said. "They battled the whole game. We ran into a little rough spot there in the start of the fourth. They got into us and we turned it over way too many times." Steve Blake made a three-point play after getting fouled by Jeremy Lamb on an off-balance 20-footer from the left elbow. That put the Lakers back in front 95-94 with 3:34 left, but Serge Ibakas two free throws put the Thunder ahead to stay with 2:38 remaining and they closed with an 11-7 run as Fisher and Durant each made two free throws in the final 17 seconds. Oklahoma City has won eight of its last 12 meetings with the Lakers. DAntoni was down to eight healthy players, with point guard Steve Nash sitting out because of a recurrence of root irritation in his back and hamstring. Los Angeles is still missing five of its top six scorers -- Kobe Bryant, Pau Gasol, Jordan Farmar, Nick Young, Jodie Meeks and Xavier Henry. "Its been a crazy year, and there will still be some turbulence ahead," DAntoni said. "But I think during these next 29 games we will get honed in and try to get better. The thing I hope is that with all the effort, they get rewarded for it." NOTES: The Thunder havent allowed 20 or more points to an opposing player since eight games ago at Miami on Jan. 29, when they overcame 34 points by LeBron James in a 112-95 win. ... Oklahoma City will come out of the All-Star break with a six-game homestand beginning next Thursday against the defending NBA champion Heat. Brooks and his staff will be calling the shots for the Western Conference All-Stars on Sunday at New Orleans. 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