FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The Carolina Panthers went into their bye week off an impressive 32-26 win against the Detroit Lions on "Sunday Night Football," and they picked up another win coming out of it to maintain their status atop the NFC South.
The Panthers became the first team in the division to reach three wins, but they were not the only group to win in Week 6. The New Orleans Saints got a much-needed win after losing three straight and now sit behind the Atlanta Falcons due to their head-to-head tiebreaker.
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.
- Carolina Panthers: 3-2 (1-0 vs. division)
- Atlanta Falcons: 2-4 (1-1 vs. division)
- New Orleans Saints: 2-4 (0-1 vs. division)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 1-5
Carolina Panthers
Last game: Won 25-14 at Philadelphia Eagles (2-4)
Offensive standout so far this season: RB Chuba Hubbard
It's becoming increasingly rare that a running back nears 30 carries in a game, but Hubbard logged 28 carries for 120 yards and a touchdown against the Eagles. His 4.3 yards per carry kept Carolina's offense on schedule and, according to TruMedia, the Panthers had a 64.3% success rate when Hubbard toted the rock. His 19-yard run on fourth-and-1 on the final play of the third quarter helped the Panthers tighten their hold on this game.
Defensive standout: LB Bobby Okereke
Okereke stuffed the stat sheet in this one. He led the Panthers with eight combined tackles and three tackles for a loss. He also recorded a sack and two pass defenses. It was a really good all-around showing for the eighth-year veteran.
Telling quote: "Great fight in the guys. Stayed with it. We needed every phase for guys to make plays at different times. The offense to get drives when we needed it. The defense to get the stops when we needed them. Then, of course, the special teams block [Panthers RB] Tre Tyus called up from the practice squad; the big punt block at the end was huge. The guys came together and found a way to win." — Panthers head coach Dave Canales
Trend Spotter — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: The Panthers are becoming Bryce Young's team
The biggest trend in the NFC South right now may be the continued evolution of Bryce Young from promising young quarterback to the engine of Carolina's offense.
In Week 6, Young threw for 281 yards and two touchdowns against Philadelphia. More importantly, he became the first NFL quarterback since 2013 to throw for at least 280 yards and a touchdown in each of his team's first five games of a season. The last players to accomplish that feat were Peyton Manning and Drew Brees. He also set a franchise record with 11 touchdown passes through five games.
Atlanta Falcons
Last game: Lost 31-23 vs. Chicago Bears (4-2)
Offensive standout: OT Jake Matthews
It can be hard to quantify a single offensive lineman's performance in a game, but both the eye test and the metrics will tell you that Matthews played well against Chicago. Per Next Gen Stats, he allowed no pressure on 39 pass-block snaps despite blocking 1-on-1 nearly 80% of the time. The Bears generated pressure on Michael Penix Jr., but it largely came from blitzes, and they couldn't get past Matthews on the left side.
Defensive standout: DT Brandon Dorlus
Atlanta pressured Bears quarterback Caleb Williams on more than 40% of his dropbacks, and Dorlus was a leader in that area once again. He had a team-best five quarterback pressures, according to Next Gen Stats, and took Williams to the ground once for his first sack of the season.
Telling quote: "That's a disappointing one. I'm obviously proud of how we continue to fight, but to start like we started is really, really disappointing. I just felt like we beat ourselves. They beat us, the Bears beat us, we also beat us, and that's really frustrating. That's something we talked at length about, and we talked at length about starting fast in this ballgame, and we did not. Really, that's on me and our staff. We've got to get that fixed because we just put ourselves in the hole." — Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Stat behind the stat — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: 19:52
The Falcons held the ball for just 19 minutes, 52 seconds against Chicago. The Bears possessed the football for 40:08, meaning Chicago controlled the ball for more than two-thirds of the game. The primary reason was third-down dominance. Chicago converted 53% of its third downs (9-of-17), while Atlanta converted just 25% (3-of-12).
The result was a game in which Atlanta ran only 50 offensive plays, compared to 73 for Chicago. Even though the Falcons averaged slightly more yards per play than the Bears (5.1 versus 5.0), they simply didn't have enough opportunities to overcome the deficit.
New Orleans Saints
Last game: Won 34-27 at New York Giants (3-2-1)
Offensive standout: QB Tyler Shough
After two tough weeks, Shough put together a much better performance in New York. He didn't put up a gaudy yardage total—throwing for just 144 yards—but he tossed three touchdown passes and ran for another score.
Defensive standout: CB Martin Emerson Jr.
Emerson picked off both Jameis Winston and J.J. McCarthy on Sunday, making it the second time in his career he's had two interceptions in the same game. He nearly had a third late in the fourth quarter, but it was overturned after an official review. Emerson finished the game with seven tackles, four pass defenses and two interceptions.
Telling quote: "I think our guys just had urgency. Urgency, anytime you lose three games in a row, that's frustrating for everyone. No one wants that. Everyone wants the same goals. Everyone has the same objectives. And it's about guys sticking together and finding a way to get this one, and then we'll go from there. So just proud of our guys." — Saints head coach Kellen Moore.
Stat behind the stat — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: 34
The Saints scored 34 consecutive points after falling behind 10-0.
The key moment wasn't one of Tyler Shough's four touchdowns. It was the sequence just before halftime. After trailing 10-0 with less than two minutes remaining in the second quarter, New Orleans kicked a field goal, forced a kickoff fumble, recovered it, and immediately scored a touchdown to tie the game. What looked like a two-score deficit became a brand-new game in 70 seconds.
The Saints then opened the second half with three consecutive scoring drives, turning a 10-10 tie into a 34-10 lead.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last game: Lost 26-19 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (4-2)
Offensive standout: K Chase McLaughlin
Outside of Emeka Egbuka's 2-yard touchdown catch early in the second quarter, McLaughlin was responsible for putting all of Tampa Bay's points on the board. The veteran kicker connected from 33, 43, 47 and 53 yards against the Steelers to improve to 14 of 14 on the season.
Defensive standout: OLB David Walker
Walker finished the game with a pair of sacks and five tackles. The rookie now has four sacks on the season, which are the third-most by a Buccaneers player through their first six career games since at least 1982, according to the team's website.
Telling quote: "We played very hard, very competitive. We [have] to learn [how] to finish ball games, and that's all three phases. We had a chance to finish the ball game. We didn't finish it at the end. You play that hard and grab a lead, you [have] to keep it. It's all the little things in between, but we practice two-minute [situations] for a reason, on both sides of the ball. We [have] to finish the ball game, and they understand that as a team. We have no more margins for error." — Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.
Trend Spotter — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: Tampa Bay's defense is improving faster than its record suggests
The Buccaneers are 1-5, but one developing trend says they're playing more competitively than that record indicates. Over the last two weeks, Tampa Bay held the Dallas Cowboys to 16 points and led the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-3 late in the third quarter before ultimately falling in overtime. Against Pittsburgh, the defense recorded five sacks, intercepted Aaron Rodgers, forced multiple three-and-outs and held the Steelers scoreless through the first quarter and most of the second half.
However, the margin for error remains razor-thin. Tampa Bay has now lost multiple close games this season despite receiving quality defensive performances. Against Pittsburgh, the Steelers didn't take their first lead until less than two minutes remained in regulation.
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 Chicago Bears during Week 6.
