FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – The NFC South had only three teams playing in Week 14 with the Carolina Panthers on bye, and two of them were involved in one of the surprise results of the weekend.
The New Orleans Saints' upset win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers has flung the division door wide open with four weeks left to play. The Saints will get the chance to double down on that win against the Panthers in Week 15, while the Buccaneers and Falcons meet on Thursday night to kick off the week of action.
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 (7-6 | 2-1 in division)
- Carolina Panthers (7-6 | 2-1 in division)
- Atlanta Falcons (4-9 | 1-3 in division)
- New Orleans Saints (3-10 | 2-2 in division)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last game: Lost 24-20 vs. New Orleans Saints (3-10)
Offensive standout: RB Bucky Irving
In his second game back after an early season injury, Irving was effective as both a runner and receiver in Tampa Bay's loss to New Orleans. He carried the ball 15 times for 55 yards, including a 32-yard burst in the fourth quarter, and caught a pair of passes for 26 yards and a touchdown.
Defensive standout: DT Vita Vea
Vea has become a regular in this spot, and it's no big surprise. He finished with five tackles, second most for the Bucs' defense, and logged four quarterback pressures with a sack.
Needs improvement: Third- and fourth-down offense
The Buccaneers were just 3 of 13 on third down and 2 of 7 on fourth down against the Saints. Tampa Bay was stuffed on several short-yardage plays, which kept this one close enough for the Saints to emerge with the win.
Telling quote: "We've got to be big boys, we've got to get over it and own what we did, and we've got to get better at things we need to get better at." – Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.
Up next: The Buccaneers host the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET.
Carolina Panthers
Last game: Bye week
Up next: The Panthers travel to play the New Orleans Saints (3-10) on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
Atlanta Falcons
Last game: Lost 37-9 vs. Seattle Seahawks (10-3)
Offensive standout: TE Kyle Pitts
Bijan Robinson had another strong game, but Pitts is also deserving of recognition here. He had his best performance of the season, catching six passes for 90 yards to lead all Falcons receivers.
Defensive standout: EDGE James Pearce Jr.
With another sack on Sunday, Pearce has six this season to lead all rookies. He's got a sack in five straight games, becoming the first rookie since Micah Parsons to do so.
Needs improvement: Third-down offense
Atlanta's struggles on third down continued against Seattle. The Falcons finished 1 of 13 on third down, which prevented them from keeping pace once the game became higher scoring in the second half. On Tuesday, offensive coordinator Zac Robinson called third downs "the most disappointing part of our offense."
Telling quote: "There's no magic call. You've got to go out there and play. The guys have got to go back there and recapture the moment. Somebody's got to go make a play, whether it's on defense, whether it's on special teams or whether it was on offense. Somebody's got to go make a game-changing play, and that didn't happen." – Falcons head coach Raheem Morris
Up next: The Falcons travel to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6) on Thursday at 8:15 p.m. ET.
New Orleans Saints
Last game: Won 24-20 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6)
Offensive standout: QB Tyler Shough
Although he didn't have the best game as a passer – 13 of 20 for 144 yards with an interception – Shough's legs won New Orleans this game. He had two touchdown runs against the Bucs, a 34-yarder in the third quarter and another 13-yard score in the fourth quarter.
Defensive standout: CB Alontae Taylor
Taylor was solid in coverage and had a big hand in limiting Baker Mayfield to just 122 yards on a really gross day for football. He secured the Saints' only turnover and allowed two catches on six targets in his coverage.
Needs improvement: Penalties
The Saints were penalized 10 times on Sunday, bringing their season total to 104 on the season.
Telling quote: "It's a good win for our guys, it's awesome. Again, for our guys to be battling, playing December football – still playing meaningful December football. Maybe in a little bit of a different way than you'd hope. Obviously, I think our guys are battling for each other, they're playing for each other, they want to win all these games. I thought just the way our guys responded for four quarters was really special." – Saints head coach Kellen Moore
Up next: The Saints host the Carolina Panthers (7-6) on Sunday at 4:25 p.m. ET.
