The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got their big win in Week 5 out of the way early, beating the Dallas Cowboys 24-16 at AT&T Stadium.
They got to have the rest of the week off and sit back on Sunday while the rest of the league played its Sunday slate. Two other teams in the NFC South played their games, while the Carolina Panthers took the Sunday off too — they were on their bye week, though.
Here's how the Atlanta Falcons and the New Orleans Saints did, and where the Bucs sit in the division — their win changed some things around in the NFC South.
Buccaneers No Longer Last in the NFC South
Team | W | L | T | Pct. | PF | PA | Home | Away | Strk |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Carolina Panthers | 2 | 2 | 0 | .500 | 121 | 109 | 1-1 | 1-1 | W1 |
Atlanta Falcons | 2 | 3 | 0 | .400 | 119 | 122 | 0-2 | 2-1 | L1 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 100 | 112 | 0-3 | 1-1 | W1 |
New Orleans Saints | 1 | 4 | 0 | .200 | 118 | 151 | 0-3 | 1-1 | L3 |
The Panthers technically lead the division because they did not play a game on Sunday, so they still sit at 2-2.
The Atlanta Falcons played a close overtime thriller with the Baltimore Ravens, but they lost 30-23 after a backbreaking Tua Tagovailoa interception late in overtime. As a result, they sit in second with the same amount of wins as Carolina but with an extra loss due to the bye-week discrepancy.
The New Orleans Saints lost their game against the Minnesota Vikings 23-13, which drops them to 1-4 on the year. That game propelled the Tampa Bay Buccaneers to third place in the division, not last, due to New Orleans' NFC South loss against the Falcons and their much poorer point differential.
The craziest thing? With Atlanta's loss on Sunday night, the Bucs are just one game back from the NFC South lead. It would be a surprising turn of events, but if Tampa Bay were to get something going here quickly, the division would still be very much in reach for the Bucs.
That turnaround continues next Sunday. The Bucs face off against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and they'll try to beat them in Raymond James Stadium to move to 2-4 on the year. A win would be great for Tampa Bay's upward projection, but a loss would plummet them to 1-5 and put most in the organization right back in the hot seat.
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