FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Well, it only took eight weeks, but the New Orleans Saints have finally played an NFC South opponent. It probably went about how many expected it would as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers made their way to the bayou.
With the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons both moving to four losses on the season last Sunday, NFC South rankings don't move too much in this week's edition of this series.
Speaking of which: Throughout the season, this piece will serve as a 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 of the division standing.
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2 | 2-0 in division)
- Carolina Panthers (4-4 | 1-0 in division)
- Atlanta Falcons (3-4 | 0-2 in division)
- New Orleans Saints (1-7 | 0-1 in division)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last game: 23-3 win against the Saints in New Orleans
Offensive standout: WR Tez Johnson
With Mike Evans and Chris Godwin out with injuries, the rookie receiver came up in the clutch, securing five of six targets for 43 yards on a day when Baker Mayfield only threw for 152 total yards.
Defensive standout: OLB Anthony Nelson
Baker Mayfield probably said it best: "I think (Nelson) probably got every single stat you're going to want to want as a defensive player." And that is pretty accurate. He had a forced fumble, four pressures, two sacks and an interception returned a few yards for a touchdown.
Needs improvement: Baker vs. the blitz
Mayfield faced his highest blitz rate of the season against the Saints (48.1%). He completed just four of 11 passes for 12 yards against the blitz with a -18.9% completion percentage over expected (while also taking two sacks).
Telling quote: "We practice it all the time. They come in bunches. I can't tell you that there is one thing we do differently that we have not been doing. I have been around when we practiced it daily every day and did everything we could and we got none, and I have been around when we hardly practiced it, and we got a bunch of them. They come in bunches, and the guys start seeing it and they feed off of it and we just have to keep that going." — Head coach Todd Bowles on the Bucs ranking in the top five in takeaways this season
Vibe check: Still holding strong
Up next: The Buccaneers will be on their bye in Week 9.
Carolina Panthers
Last game: 40-9 loss at home to the Buffalo Bills
Offensive standout: RB Rico Dowdle
Even though the Carolina offense didn't have much success at all against a vengeful Bills, Dowdle continues to put up numbers that lift your brows. He led the team with 54 rushing yards on eight carries. The eyebrow-raising part of that stat is that he averaged 6.8 yards per carry.
Defensive standout: LB Trevin Wallace
It is difficult to give a standout performance to anyone on a defense that allows 40 points, but Wallace notched his first sack of the season, so he gets the nod.
Needs improvement: Turnovers and sacks
Like the Falcons, the Panthers were without their young quarterback. Bryce Young did not face the Bills in Week 8 because of an ankle injury. In his place started Andy Dalton, who turned the ball over twice in the second half and was sacked seven times. The Bills turned those turnovers into 10 points. A fumble in the third quarter ushered in another Bills touchdown an offensive drive later.
Telling quote: "I didn't play like I was capable of playing. I felt like I didn't give us a chance, and, yeah, it's tough. I know what I've been able to do. I know what I can do, and so it's not played to the standard that you expect. I mean, that's why it's tough. And at this stage in your career, you only get so many of these opportunities out there." — Panthers' quarterback Andy Dalton
Vibe check: Snapping back to reality
Up next: Carolina plays the Packers in Green Bay on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on FOX.
Atlanta Falcons
Last game: 34-10 loss at home to the Miami Dolphins
Offensive standout: TE Kyle Pitts
For the second week in a row, Pitts earns standout status. His nine receptions on nine targets via Kirk Cousins tied his career high. Pitts is five yards shy of 3,000 receiving yards for his career and would be fourth Falcons tight end to reach that mark.
Defensive standout: LB Kaden Elliss
For the second week in a row, Elliss also earns standout status. Sunday's loss was Elliss' 14th game with 10 or more tackles as a Falcon, the most by a Falcon since 2023 and the eighth most in the NFL over that span.
Needs improvement: Scoring
This will continue to be the biggest area of improvement for Atlanta until the offense consistently puts points on the board.
Telling quote: "We've got to get our running game going. If we can get those things going, that really is our lifeline of everything that we do, whether it be running the ball, passing the ball, whatever the case may be. That's really our lifeline. When we get that going, we're a really good offense. When we don't get that going, we look like we did (Sunday), where you don't have a chance to maintain possession." — Head coach Raheem Morris
Vibe check: The vibes are off
Up next: The Falcons travel to Gillette Stadium to face the Patriots on Sunday at 1 p.m. ET on CBS
New Orleans Saints
Last game: 23-3 loss at home to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Offensive standout: N/A
It doesn't feel right giving a standout performance to any individual entity of a unit that was shutout of the end zone.
Defensive standout: DE Chase Young
Young continues to be a bright spot on this defense that actually kept Baker Mayfield uncomfortable last week. Young finished the day with 1.5 sacks and a force fumble and recovery.
Needs improvement: Quarterback play
The Saints pulled Spencer Rattler in the second half for rookie Tyler Shough. The organization made the decision this week that Shough will continue forward as the team's starting quarterback. Rattler becomes the backup with a 1-13 record as the starter. According to CBS Sports, that is the second-worst record by a quarterback in his first 14 career starts since 1950.
Telling quote: "We just needed to find a way to create something on offense. It has more to do with the offense collectively. We're just not executing and playing at a high enough standard and we gotta find a way to move the football consistently, protect the football and score points. This is a pure full offensive evaluation point. We're just not there." — Head coach Kellen Moore on the quarterback change
Vibe check: It's not getting any better
Up next: The Saints travel to Los Angeles to face the Rams on Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET on FOX.
Take a trip up to the top of the nest and get a bird's eye view of the game between the Atlanta Falcons and the Miami Dolphins during Week 8, shot on Sony.
