The Carolina Panthers suffered their seventh defeat on Sunday, a stunning result for a team that blew through the NFC with a 15-1 record on its way to the Super Bowl last season.

The 35-32 loss to the Oakland Raiders all but extinguished any hopes the team had of repeating as NFC South champions and put their wild-card chances on life support. But the Panthers are holding out hope. With five games left in the regular season, Carolina knows the window hasn't shut entirely.

"We'll just keep fighting, keep playing. Now we still have an opportunity. We'll see what happens," head coach Ron Rivera said at his postgame press conference. "There's no reason for us to look any other way but there's a glimmer of hope. That's all you need sometimes."

The Panthers currently own the third worst record in the NFC at 4-7, but they are just one-and-a-half games behind the Washington Redskins for the sixth seed and final playoff spot.

"We just have to keep believing," said receiver Ted Ginn. "As long as we keep believing, keep playing this game. They say any given Sunday. That's all you can worry about."

The Panthers have a marquee game with the Seattle Seahawks up next on Sunday night and finish the year against the San Diego Chargers, Redskins, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.