FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The NFC South had an interesting start to the 2026 NFL Season.
There were games of every flavor: A true-blue shootout involving the Panthers and Bears; a second-half comeback attempt by the Buccaneers against the Bengals; an overtime nail-biter with the Saints and Lions; and a defensive battle with standout star performances between the Falcons and Steelers.
Each game provided minor revelations about the teams involved, but is ultimately 1/17th of the overall puzzle. And, in a weird bit of irony, every team is a winner—at least as far as the division standings are concerned—because all four of them lost.
No team gained ground. No team lost ground. They will enter Week 2 on equal footing, but that is guaranteed to change with the division matchup between Atlanta and Carolina. There is plenty of time to discuss that matchup, however. For now, let’s take a look back at the NFL’s opening weekend.
Throughout the season, this piece will check in on the four teams in the division, tracking their performance and noting the standout players from each game. Teams will be listed in the order in which they appear in the division standings.
NFC South standings after Week 1
T-1: Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
T-1: Carolina Panthers (0-1)
T-1: New Orleans Saints (0-1)
T-1: Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)