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. Baltimore Orioles Store . Then again, he really was at his home away from home. "It was nice to sleep in my own bed last night," Shields said after pitching Kansas City past the San Diego Padres 8-0 Wednesday. Orioles Jerseys 2019 . Its the second time this season that Milan has been sanctioned by the league judge, after fans also subjected Napoli supporters to discriminatory chants. The ban will come into effect for Milans next match, against Udinese on Oct. https://www.cheaporioles.com/.ca Fantasy Editor Scott Cullen, NFL Editor Ben Fisher, and Isaac Owusu discuss three hot fantasy football topics. Baltimore Orioles Shirts . With the Nets winning streak in jeopardy, Williams scored 23 points, 11 in the final six minutes, to lead Brooklyn to a 104-99 victory over the Charlotte Bobcats on Wednesday night. Stitched Orioles Jerseys . Jones, from Winnipeg, built a 3-0 advantage after three ends by scoring two in the second and one in the third. Chinas skip Bingyu Wang cut that lead to 3-1 in the fourth before Canada added another three in the fifth for a 6-1 lead.VANCOUVER -- The salsa music was cranked up loud in the Vancouver Whitecaps dressing room prior to a training session this week. The players looked relaxed and smiled as they filed out for practice. There was little evidence the teams confidence had been shaken by a pair of subpar performances and its first loss in eight Major League Soccer games. There was even talk about how the Seattle Sounders, Vancouvers Cascadia rival with the best record in MLS, are the right medicine to cure whatever ails the Whitecaps. "Its the perfect test to bounce back," forward Nigel Reo-Coker said about Saturdays game at BC Place Stadium. "Its a great test for the team. No one expects us to win this game. They are the most experienced team, I would say, in the league. For us, as an emerging young team, its a great time for us to prove to people we should be taken seriously as a team." The Whitecaps had a franchise record eight-game unbeaten streak (3-0-5) snapped in a 2-0 loss to the Colorado Rapids last week. Vancouver had also played poorly in a 0-0 draw to the Montreal Impact the previous game. A Vancouver team that had gone six of seven games scoring two or more goals has suddenly had problems putting the ball in the net. "The last couple of games I dont think our team has produced the same amount of opportunities they have in the past," said forward Erik Hurtado. "That is going to affect us scoring goals." Coach Carl Robinson doesnt see any big problems with the Whitecaps game, just areas that need little fixes. "Good teams are able to do the crappy jobs very well," said Robinson. "Weve done that the first part of the season. In the last two games I think we went away from that. "Our transition play needs to be a little bit better. Its the little details that make the big differences. If we get back to that, then everyone will put a smile on their face." Seattle leads the MLS standings with 35 points from a 11-3-2 record. One of those ties came against Vancouver last month. The Sounders have also scored 33 goals, more than any other team in the league. Vancouver is fifth in the Western Conference, 13 points behind Seattle with a 5-3-7 record. Steven Beitashour, who is returning to the Whitecaps lineup after playing for Iran at the World Cup, said the last two results are a minor bump in a long season. "We were on a nice streak," said the 27-year-old right back. "The guys did well during that. "The league is going to have runs, good runs, bad runs. I dont think two is bad at all. Im confident this weekend we will have a good result, then we will start a new winning streak.dddddddddddd" The last time the teams met Seattle salvaged the tie on a late penalty kick after a controversial call. Sounders coach Sigi Schmid doesnt expect things to be any easier in the rematch. "They are going to be a team that is motivated," Schmid said on the Sounders website. "Im sure they havent been happy with their last two games they played, they havent scored any goals. "Coach Robinson will be under them and motivating them. That team is going to be hungry when they play us." One reason the Whitecaps have had problems scoring goals is teams are dropping back defenders to counter Vancouvers speed. Robinson said his team must be smarter with the ball when they have possession. "We have to get back to maintaining possession, dictating possession, but also being a threat in the final third," he said. "We know we have quick players, but have we got players with an understanding how to move (opposition) players out of position? Seattle is a very organized team. They like to get eight, nine men behind the ball. We are going to have to be open and expansive but also a little bit creative in our final third play." Vancouver could also improve its set plays. The Whitecaps have been unable to take advantage of some good deliveries from midfielder Pedro Morales. "I think the service has been there," said Robinson. "Now its the challenge for the players to get in the right position. Its about movement in the box." The Whitecaps have been guilty of giving up leads. Robinson said thats a result of his team still learning how to deal with certain game situations. "The top teams are able to grind out results," he said. "I havent got an experienced core. I have a young group. "When we bend we might break at the moment. Its important we learn from scenarios like that. At the moment we have broken but we will learn form certain things." One player thrilled to be back in the Whitecaps lineup is Medhi Ballouchy. The 31-year-old midfielder from Morocco spent 11 months recovering from anterior cruciate ligament surgeries on both knees. During that time he also lost his father to cancer. Ballouchy played 20 minutes against Colorado and called the experience "amazing." "Taking something from a soccer player ... its always hard," he said about his long recovery. "Im just happy (and) at this point dont even want to think about it. "I hope I can stay in this phase for a long time." ' ' '