FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — The NFC South had a pair of victories in Week 7, and they were notable.
The Atlanta Falcons earned an impressive 29-20 victory against the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers, and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers ran all over the Carolina Panthers in a 43-13 win that is easily their best of the season. That adds juice to the first matchup of the season between the Falcons and Buccaneers, a divisional rivalry that has provided many entertaining moments in recent years.
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: 3-3 (1-1 vs. division)
- Atlanta Falcons: 3*-4* (1-1 vs. division)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2-5 (1-0 vs. division)
- New Orleans Saints: 2-5 (0-1 vs. division)
Carolina Panthers
Last game: Lost 43-13 vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5)
Offensive standout: TE Darren Waller
The Panthers scored two touchdowns against the Buccaneers in an otherwise forgettable day for an offense that turned the ball over three times. There was one major highlight for the group that came from Waller, who sprinted past the entire Tampa Bay defense for a 50-yard touchdown in the second quarter. It was his only catch of the day.
Defensive standout: LB Bobby Okereke
Carolina's defense gave up 258 rushing yards to Tampa Bay, which is by no means a banner day for any defense. But it did mean plenty of work for Okereke, who led the Panthers with 10 tackles a tackle for loss and a pass deflection.
Telling quote: "Just really disappointed. Really don't know what that game would've looked like. 22 points off of turnovers. Really in every phase. The sack-fumble protection issue, two interceptions, dropped punt (return) led to points. The blocked kick, all those things, really just kind of mounting up to putting us in a really big hole to see if we can try to dig out of it." — Panthers head coach Dave Canales
Stat behind the Stat — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: 5.2
Entering Week 7, the Carolina Panthers were allowing 5.12 yards per carry, the highest mark in the NFL. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers identified that weakness and built their entire game plan around exploiting it. The result was one of the most dominant rushing performances by any NFC South team this season.
Tampa Bay ran the ball 49 times for 258 yards and three touchdowns, with Bucky Irving (106 yards), Kenny Gainwell (88 yards) and Sean Tucker (52 yards) all finding success behind a physical offensive line.
The Panthers' offensive ceiling remains among the highest in the NFC South, but Week 7 showed how vulnerable even explosive offenses can become when opponents control the line of scrimmage. Carolina's league-worst yards-per-carry figure entering the week wasn't just a statistic. It became the blueprint Tampa Bay used to hand the Panthers their most lopsided loss of the season.
Atlanta Falcons
Last game: Won 29-20 vs. San Francisco 49ers (6-1)
Offensive standout: QB Michael Penix Jr.
Penix was extremely efficient and judicious in leading the Falcons' offense against a good 49ers defense. He connected with 10 different targets while completing 25 of his 34 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns. He now has six touchdown passes and no turnovers in his last two games.
Defensive standout: LB Kendal Daniels
This is a true toss-up between Daniels and safety Jessie Bates III, who were both vitally important to the Falcons' victory on Sunday. But the rookie linebacker gets the nod for all that he overcame to make it to the field after suffering a serious neck injury in Week 6. Wearing the green dot for the full game, Daniels was the lead communicator for the defense and led the team with 11 tackles, including nine solo.
Telling quote: "When you're playing a good team, great coaches, great players on that side, you have to be about your business and take care of the rock. We took care of it, we took it away. That's a great recipe for winning in this league. We need to understand that in these ballgames and that's how it goes. Really proud of the effort just across the board. I thought the guys played fast; they played physical and beat a good, a really good football team." — Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski.
Trend Spotter — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: The Falcons are becoming one of the NFL's most opportunistic teams.
A few weeks ago, Atlanta's biggest issue was self-inflicted mistakes. Against the previously unbeaten San Francisco 49ers, the Falcons flipped that script completely, forcing four turnovers while committing none of their own.
What's especially interesting is that the underlying yardage numbers favored San Francisco. The 49ers outgained Atlanta 400-295, generated 26 first downs to the Falcons' 21, and averaged more yards per play. Yet the Falcons controlled the game because of situational football.
The trend here extends beyond one game. In wins over Green Bay, New Orleans and now San Francisco, Atlanta has consistently found ways to generate momentum-changing plays rather than relying solely on offensive production.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last game: Won 43-13 at Carolina Panthers (3-3)
Offensive standout: RB Bucky Irving
This award could collectively go to Tampa Bay's offensive line for the dominance they displayed along the line of scrimmage, particularly left tackle Tristan Warfs and center Graham Barton. The result was one of the best rushing outputs of Irving's career. The third-year back carried the ball 24 times for 106 yards and two scores. It was Irving's first time scoring two rushing touchdowns since entering the league.
Defensive standout: This could also be a shared callout for all of the players on one of the best defensive units in the league, and a special shoutout goes to Calijah Kancey for his 32-yard touchdown on a fumble recovery. But the true standout was outside linebacker Yaya Diaby, who had a breakout performance with three sacks on Sunday.
Telling quote: "Did a great job moving the ball. We talked about it before the game. We knew we had to control time of possession and keep them out there because they're very explosive on their offensive side of the ball. We cashed in. We didn't settle for too many field goals. We got touchdowns. They made plays. We got turnovers. It was a full team effort." — Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.
Stat Behind the Stat — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: 49
The Buccaneers ran the ball 49 times against Carolina.
That's an enormous number in today's NFL, particularly for a team that entered the game trailing in the division standings. Tampa Bay accumulated 258 rushing yards, the fourth-highest single-game rushing total in franchise history, while averaging more than 5 yards per carry.
Tampa Bay only asked Mayfield to throw 11 passes. The Buccaneers essentially won a modern NFL game with a game plan that looked more like something from two decades ago.
New Orleans Saints
Last game: Lost 16-10 vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-2)
Offensive standout: WR Devaughn Vele
This wasn't a banner game for the Saints' offense, but Vele had a pretty solid solo outing. He caught all five of his targets for 54 yards and a fourth-down touchdown at the goal line. He's been a consistent producer for the Saints this season as a big slot receiver, and that was the case once again against a good Steelers defense.
Defensive standout: DE Carl Granderson
Both Granderson and Chase Young finished with 1.5 sacks in this game, but the former gets the nod here thanks to his four quarterback pressures and four tackles. He's an underrated player for New Orleans who now has 5.5 sacks this season.
Telling quote: "We had our opportunities, but ultimately they made a few more plays than us. Margins are small in this game, and when you have your opportunities, you've got to take advantage of them, and they made more than we did." — Saints head coach Kellen Moore.
Trend Spotter — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: The Saints are becoming increasingly one-dimensional on offense.
The biggest trend emerging for New Orleans Saints is the widening gap between their passing and rushing production. Against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Saints managed just 18 rushing yards on 17 carries, forcing Tyler Shough to account for nearly all of the offense.
Shough responded with one of his most productive statistical performances of the season, completing 30 of 38 passes for 278 yards and a touchdown. But despite that efficiency, New Orleans scored only 10 points.
Over the last several weeks, the Saints have increasingly relied on Shough and the passing game to overcome struggles on the ground. When the run game disappears completely, the offense becomes much easier to defend in high-leverage situations.
Celebrate with the Atlanta Falcons on Victory Monday after the Week 7 win against the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers.
