NEW ORLEANS — The Panthers locker room after a 20-17 loss to the Saints was a complicated place.

Obviously, the Panthers were crushed after losing a chance to put themselves in position for a playoff berth by moving a game ahead of the Buccaneers.

On the other hand, that chance is still there, since they're tied at 7-7 with the Bucs, and both teams have matching 2-2 records in the division, which is the second tiebreaker after head-to-head.

Everything remains in front of them, even if that was hard to accept as they walked out of the Caesars Superdome.

"There's a lot of guys who are really disappointed, because of the missed opportunity that we had," Panthers head coach Dave Canales said. "At the same time, there's a lot of great leaders in that locker room that understand we've got a lot of football in front of us.

"We have to make sure that we move on quickly. We look at the film, we make sure we tidy up the things that we need to, and get ready for the next game, and that's really got to be the mentality, so we stay together and finish this thing."

Derrick Brown's one of those leaders, and one of the small group of players who have been involved in anything resembling a post-season push. He's one of the eight players remaining from 2022, when they went to Tampa on New Year's Day with a chance to play for the division title, only to fall short that time.

"It's great to still have everything in front of us, right? Like you've got to put this s--- behind us and get back to work," Brown said. "You can't sit here and suck on this because you've got to go back to work and get ready for tomorrow and get ready to play Tampa Bay next weekend.

"Nobody's going to feel sorry for us. I mean, we've got to go out here and we got to get it now. I mean, it is what it is. It's been that way since Day 1, right? We started off 1-3, and you know it's the same mentality, right? Nothing has come easy for us this season. So I mean now we've got to go back and go to work."

A win on Sunday would have moved the Panthers a game clear of the Bucs, and given them a chance to clinch the division next week at home (which they haven't done since 1996). Instead, this season now becomes a three-game sprint, with critical games every week.

But that's what the playoffs are, for a team that hasn't won more than seven games since 2017, that's still part of the growth process.

"It's just the growing nature of when you're trying to build a winning culture, and it's not going to happen overnight," veteran offensive lineman Austin Corbett said. "And we are in a position now where we have to go make it happen. So we want to go win the division. We've got Tampa coming in. We've got to go do it. There's no other option. You want to win the playoffs, go to the home playoff game? It starts right now.

"You've got to own this. You have to be here present where your feet are and own the moment. It didn't get done today and ultimately it doesn't really hurt too much. It's not as easy of a way to go get the win now, but it's still there. We can still win the division. It's still right in front of us and we have to go on it and go get it done."

Corbett came here after winning a Super Bowl ring with the Rams during the 2021 season, so he's one of the guys who knows what it takes. And he's talked about wanting to be a part of the building process from the start, even as the Panthers struggled through describing this one.

"There's a growing side of it; it's painful growing things," he said. "They sting, they hurt, but again, we have the opportunity right in front of us still. So you own this today, you accept it, you have to grow from it, and there's no time to go up and down anymore.

"It's time just to go up and excel and go win the division, and you just got to lock in one day at a time, be about it in every single moment that you get, eliminate any outside distractions that you have. I know it's family time with Christmas coming up and the holidays, but you can hang out with family in the offseason. It's time to go, and you've got to lock in."

In many ways, the Panthers did a lot of the things they needed to Sunday, things that didn't happen when they lost to the Saints at Bank of America Stadium in Week 10 (the week after the win at Green Bay).

They ran sufficiently well (31 times for 127 yards), and Bryce Young hit a number of shots downfield, including a 32-yard touchdown to Jalen Coker, a 34-yarder to Xavier Legette, and a 21-yarder to Tetairoa McMillan.

But there wasn't the kind of cohesiveness to the plan, and the Saints made the plays late to leave the Panthers heading home with a loss — even if it was a tie.

"They played well. They did everything we always give credit to our opponents," Young said. "But for us, we're a team that prides ourselves on finish. Didn't get that done today. It's not going to feel good for 24 hours, and you go back and grow from it, and then turn the page.

"Just want to go 1-0. That's always the mindset. And again, we'll watch the film, you know, we'll live it for these 24 hours. After that, just turn the page. That's all, all that matters."

That doesn't make it any easier Sunday night.

But that's the situation they're in, knowing they're heading home with every goal still in front of them.