FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. — Nine weeks into the 2026 NFL season, the NFC South looks as tight as many predicted entering the fall.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers knocked off the Falcons on Sunday and have now won three of their last four games to climb back into the division race. The Carolina Panthers lost to the Green Bay Packers on Thursday night, and hold only a narrow lead atop the NFC South.
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: 3-4 (1-1 vs. division)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 3-5 (2-0 vs. division)
- Atlanta Falcons: 3-5 (1-2 vs. division)
- New Orleans Saints: 2-5 (0-1 vs. division)
Carolina Panthers
Last game: Lost 27-19 at Green Bay Packers (5-3)
Offensive standout: RB Chuba Hubbard
After a quiet Week 7, Hubbard bounced back with a performance that more closely resembled his play so far this season. He carried the ball 22 times for 81 yards and a touchdown while also catching seven passes for 38 yards. His 119 yards from scrimmage were the 15th-most in the league in Week 8.
Defensive standout: S Zakee Wheatley
The rookie defender snagged his first career interception Thursday night in the fourth quarter. Wheatley broke on the pass well and intercepted Jordan Love to prevent a potential touchdown. That play, along with his seven tackles and additional pass deflections, earned him this spot.
Telling quote: "First of all, a lot of love to the Packers. A great game plan made us one-dimensional, got after us in the rush, got after us with the blitzes, things that we've been talking about for the last couple of weeks and things that we need to really press in on as a group, players, coaches as well, to figure out and make sure we have a good plan for what that looks like" — Panthers head coach Dave Canales
Stat behind the Stat — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: 6
The Packers sacked Young six times.
Despite running 70 offensive plays, the Panthers averaged only 3.6 yards per play, one of their least efficient outputs of the season.
Carolina's offense is built around explosive passing plays. Constant pressure disrupted that formula throughout the game.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last game: Won 16-0 vs. Atlanta Falcons (3-5)
Offensive standout: RB Bucky Irving
For the second straight game, Irving led the Buccaneers to a huge output on the ground. He finished with a career-best 170 rushing yards and a touchdown on 27 carries. More impressively, according to Next Gen Stats, all 170 of Irving's rushing yards came after contact. Tampa Bay's offensive line did a great job creating running lanes for Irving and fellow running back Kenny Gainwell.
Defensive standout: LB Alex Anzalone
Anzalone ended Atlanta's second offensive possession before it even got started by dropping right into Michael Penix Jr.'s throwing lane and intercepting a quick pass intended for Drake London. It was the first of two interceptions Anzalone had in the game and helped spark a four-turnover day for the Buccaneers.
Telling quote: "Complementary football, that's what you want. You don't want one
side outdoing the other, as well as special teams with field position in a day like today.
All of them have been impressive the last two weeks." — Buccaneers head coach Todd Bowles.
Trend Spotter — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: Tampa Bay has found an identity, and it's getting stronger every week.
Three weeks ago, the Buccaneers looked like a team searching for answers. Now they look like a team with one of the clearest identities in the NFC South.
Over the last two games, Tampa Bay has rushed for 258 yards against Carolina and then a franchise-record 324 rushing yards against Atlanta. Bucky Irving has posted back-to-back 100-yard games (106 and 170 yards), while Kenny Gainwell added 88 yards one week and 140 the next.
What's fascinating is how little quarterback play has mattered during that stretch. Baker Mayfield attempted only 11 passes in Week 7 and completed zero passes in Week 8, yet Tampa Bay won both games by a combined score of 59-13.
Atlanta Falcons
Last game: Lost 16-0 at Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5)
Offensive standout: RB Bijan Robinson
Wide receiver Jahan Dotson deserves a mention for his 76-yard catch in the fourth quarter, the longest of his career, in some of the worst conditions any game has been played in this year. But Robinson was the most productive member of the Falcons' offense, even if his box score won't stand out compared to his best days. Robinson's top highlight was a Houdini-like 26-yard run in the second quarter.
Defensive standout: S Jessie Bates III
With a perfectly timed forced fumble that prevented a Bucs touchdown and resulted in a touchback for the Falcons, Bates became just the second player this season to cause a fumble in three straight games. He continues to prove his value to Atlanta's defense with big plays and turnovers.
Telling quote: "You got to play the game that's in front of you. Conditions were what they
were for both teams, and we didn't do a good enough job as a team. So that's credit to them, credit to their players, credit to their coaches. They did a better job than we did, and disappointed in that result. But we'll own it, and then we'll move on." — Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski.
What Stands Out — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: The most surprising takeaway is that Atlanta's defense actually held up reasonably well considering the circumstances.
The Falcons allowed only 16 points despite:
- Four interceptions by Penix.
- Constantly defending short fields.
- Facing a Tampa Bay team that rushed for 324 yards.
Atlanta's defense gave the team a chance, but the offense couldn't capitalize.
New Orleans Saints
Last game: Bye week
Offensive standout so far this season: WR Chris Olave
New Orleans' offense has cooled off a little bit, but Olave has proven once again this season that he's a top-flight WR1 in this league. He has 49 receptions for 636 yards, which ranks fifth among all wideouts, and two touchdowns. If he can keep up this pace over the second half of the season, Olave could have the best production of his career.
Defensive standout so far this season: DE Chase Young
Young has looked like the fearsome pass rusher many predicted he would be coming out of college. His seven sacks are tied for the third-most by a defender so far this season, and he's only had two games in which he's failed to take down the quarterback. After earning double-digit sacks for the first time in his career last season, Young is once again in line to have his best year as a pro.
Stat Behind the Stat — Powered by Microsoft Copilot: 2-5
The record says the Saints sit last.
The underlying story is more nuanced.
- A young quarterback showing growth.
- A defense capable of generating takeaways and pressure.
- Three one-score losses already this season.
Among teams below .500 this season, the Saints may be one of the most intriguing second-half teams because they appear closer to competitiveness than their record indicates.
Immerse yourself in the subtle drama of the Falcons-Buccaneers meetup at Raymond James Stadium with our monochrome snapshots from Week 8.
