For the division, one of the most critical matchups of the year occurred this week. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers had their first game of the season between the rivals, and for the division, this was a battle for the top spot in the division. The Buccaneers have lost their lead, and this week, they officially lost first place. Carolina beat Tampa Bay 23-20, and it was a really good game by the Panthers.
On the Bucs side, the same issues they have dealt with all season showed up again. The offense struggled to find consistency; QB Baker Mayfield made mistakes; the run game was missing; and the pass defense allowed QB Bryce Young to have a good day. The run defense continues to do well, but it wasn’t enough in this game.
Although the Falcons are out of the playoffs, they continue to fight in games, and QB Kirk Cousins is proving to be a decent backup. This week, Atlanta faced off against the Arizona Cardinals, and the difference in this game was touchdowns. The Cardinals got out to a 10-0 lead, but after failing to score again, the Falcons capitalized and won 26-19, scoring three touchdowns. Bijan Robinson continues to be a vital piece to the Falcons’ offense, and if it were not for him, Atlanta may not have won this game.
And on the other side of the top NFC South battle, the Panthers got their necessary win. Bryce Young continues to look like a starting-level QB, which tends to be the case later in the season, and the Panthers’ defense made Baker Mayfield’s day tough. Again, these two will have one more matchup in the last game of the season, but that might not matter in the end. If Carolina wins this week’s game against the Seattle Seahawks and the Bucs lose to the Miami Dolphins, the Panthers will secure the division title. If not, all comes down to week 18.
In a massive twist of fate, the Saints are the hottest team in the division. After getting their win last week against the New York Jets, New Orleans is on a three-game win streak. The offense looks much better than most of the season, which can be attributed to QB Tyler Shough’s impressive play and HC Kellen Moore opening up the playbook. The Defense has also massively improved from its struggles early in the season. One of the most dangerous things this season was regression, and although it looked like that could happen earlier, we are now at the point of improvement.
Current NFC South Standings