The New Orleans Saints hold onto a piece of NFC South history in their 19-17 loss at the Atlanta Falcons to close out their season on Sunday. With that loss, the Carolina Panthers win the NFC South with an 8-9 record by virtue of tiebreakers over the 8-9 Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the 8-9 Falcons. The Saints finish with a 6-11 record.
Only five times in NFL history has a team won their division with a losing record. Three of those times belong to the NFC South. The Carolina Panthers have done it twice, with a 7-8-1 record in 2014 and now this year. Tampa Bay won the division with an 8-9 mark in 2022, the last NFL team with a losing record to win the division before Carolina was gifted their division title this year.
While keeping the Tampa Bay Buccaneers home for the playoffs with their loss, the Saints also held on to parts of NFC South history. Tampa Bay had come into 2025 with four straight division championships, tying them with the Saints for the most consecutive division crowns. New Orleans had accomplished the feat four straight years between 2017 and 2020. Additionally, the Saints and Buccaneers remain tied for the most NFC South championships with four apiece. Carolina was gifted their sixth on Sunday, with Atlanta owning just four.
Since the inception of the NFC South after realignment back in 2002, the New Orleans Saints have qualified for 9 postseason berths. That is more than any other NFC South team. Carolina, Tampa Bay, and Atlanta each have eight postseason appearances.