CHARLOTTE — Taylor Moton was a rookie, so there was part of him that thought it might always be like this.

He's since found out how hard it is to be in this position, so that's what he tells everyone who asks.

The Panthers enter today's game against the Saints with a chance to go a game clear of the Buccaneers atop the division with three to play. They can't clinch a playoff berth today, but they can take a huge step in that direction. But that means they can't miss the step in front of them, so that's where their focus is.

The veteran right tackle is one of just two players on the current roster to appear in a playoff game as a Panther — along with long snapper JJ Jansen. But that was back in 2017, when Moton was a second-round rookie surrounded by stars.

"Yeah, we had a tremendous group of leaders my rookie year," Moton said. "You've got Cam Newton and Ryan Kalil, Greg Olsen, Thomas Davis, Luke Kuechly, right? Julius Peppers, all those guys. Tremendous men, tremendous players, tremendous leaders.

"And I'd say, yeah, a lot of what they were talking about is being able to rise to those occasions when called for, and to be so present in those moments, so you know when you get to that spot, you can have that success when you need it."

That presence is what Moton's preaching this week to his teammates, as one of the small handful of guys who have experienced similar situations.

Five years after that wild card game against the Saints, the Panthers came close to this point, behind an interim coach and a bunch of interim players, only to fall short of a division title.

"I learned how bad it hurts to be so close and not achieve your goals," Moton said of that 2022 push, which lasted until New Year's Day in Tampa. "I learned the pain, and I learned how I don't want to feel like that again towards the end of the season, right?

"But ultimately, I learned how good we can be, so every game I go out there, win, lose, or draw, I learn a lesson of some sort. And you just keep stacking them."

Moton is one of the stoics in the room, a master compartmentalizer. But he's far from alone. And as head coach Dave Canales has come in and instilled a culture of today, he met a few guys walking in the door who were ready to carry that message into the locker room.

There are eight players on the current roster who were part of that strange and unusual playoff push in 2022 (when they were 6-9 and playing for a division title in Tampa on New Year's Day). That group includes Jansen and Moton, 2020 first-rounder Derrick Brown, the class of 2021, which included Jaycee Horn , Chuba Hubbard, and Tommy Tremble, and 2022 acquisitions Ikem Ekwonu and Austin Corbett.

They'll all be out there today for the Panthers, and they all carry similar messages.

Having seen how hard it is to reach this point, they don't want to squander it.

"This is the position we wanted to fight to be in," Brown said. "To be able to be playing meaningful football here in late December, that's what we wanted. So that's where we're at.

"I don't think it's hard. I mean, we all know what it feels like to be at the house in January. So if you want to take a different mindset, then that's exactly where you're going to be. We don't want to look past no opponent. We want to focus on this week, this week only, and then go to the next. We can just go week by week because that's what's been working for us, and you know we can't look too far ahead."

Because they've found success in approaching it this way, it didn't seem like an increased intensity this week in practice or in the locker room.

"I'm just saying, we're living in the moment, right?" Brown said. "Like you start trying to look too far ahead, and then you end up being at the house in January. So you know this is one thing where you know we don't want to look far ahead. We want to be here right now."

Being present in that moment is one of the things everyone says. When Moton was a rookie, Ron Rivera told them to be where their feet were. Brown said Wilks stressed the importance of every day. So Canales isn't preaching a new message, but it's resonating with this team in a new way.

"I mean every single week I feel like we've grown in the right direction, regardless of win or loss," Hubbard said. "And I think that each week our identity is just becoming clearer and clearer. So in terms of mindset, I feel like we're always hungry, always trying to win, but yeah, we know what we're capable of.

"I mean, four weeks ago, we weren't thinking about the last four games or this or that; it was just let's attack this week and win this game. Every week, our goal is just to go 1-and-0, so that's what it is this week. Doesn't change because things in the back end look a little different, but like I said, we've been chasing this goal since May, since OTAs, so it's not a surprise to us."

Hubbard talked about the importance of building something lasting here, and that emotion is evident among the guys who have been in these spots. Those who remember what happened in 2022, or previously, those players have a different air at this moment.

And the fact that they're the ones who are spreading the message of presence underscores how important today is.

Back in training camp, Moton was emotional when he considered this might be his final season here. Since then, his future was secured with a contract extension, but the meaning of this moment is evident.

"I'd say a big change, obviously, is playing meaningful football in December, right? That's huge," Moton said. "And yeah, I got very emotional because of the city, this organization, the coaches, players, just being around here so long, man, it all means the world to me.

"And yeah, I'm just excited that we're in a meaningful spot to play down the stretch. But again, just going back to control what I control for now. And it's still a week-to-week kind of proposition."