Near the end of last year’s regular-season finale, the Georgia Dome had turned into Bank of America Stadium South.

“It was like it was ours. I can’t forget that,” defensive tackle Kawann Short recalled Tuesday.

Down 21-20 with 31 seconds left, Atlanta had a first down at its 43-yard line. But as a pro-Panthers crowd roared, quarterback Matt Ryan was not ready for a snap that ended up rolling down to the Atlanta 27. Moments later, the Falcons were flagged for a false start, which included a 10-second runoff. Two plays after that, the Panthers were NFC South champs for the first time since 2008.

“It was a crowd full of Panther fans. I definitely remember that,” linebacker Thomas Davis said. “Hopefully we’ll have the same outcome this year.”

But there is a significant difference in Sunday’s meeting. Last year’s Georgia Dome matchup featured the 4-11 Falcons who were finishing out a lost season. This time, both teams are fighting for the same thing, so there could be a bit more Atlanta red in the stands.

“[Panthers fans] really came out and showed up. That was big for us, and we need another crowd like that this week,” cornerback Josh Norman said. “It’s going to be loud. It’s for the kings of the south.”