Look around the NFC South; Bucs off but still on top

NFC South race tightening up as we hit about the midpoint of the season

It was thought to be just a 2-team race in the division as many expected the New Orleans Saints to beat Atlanta on Sunday and tie the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at 6-2. The Falcons had other plans in mind as they upset the Saints on a last second field goal to win 27-25 at the horn. The win improved the Falcons to 4-4 and put them just game behind the 2nd place Saints who fell to 5-3. The defending champion Buccaneers had their bye and so by virtue of the Saints loss remain on top the division at 6-2.

We went in depth on the Saints disappointing loss to Atlanta so look back for those articles on our reactions to that game and more. The Saints will travel to Tennessee this weekend to take on the Titans on the road while the Falcons will look to continue their winning streak when they take on the Cowboys in Dallas this Sunday. The Buccaneers will travel to take on the Washington Football team.

Patriots 24 Panthers 6

It was all supposed to come together for the Panthers. They had finally gotten off the snide after winning the previous week and breaking a 4-game losing streak. They were returning home and welcoming back their All-Pro running back Christian McCaffrey so Panthers faithful were hopeful to get the team back that started 3-0. What they may not have realized is the history Darnold has had against Patriots coach Bill Belichick. Before Sunday, Darnold had been 0-3 vs Belichick with 1 touchdown thrown and 6 interceptions. On que Darnold had another terrible game versus a Belichick defense. Darnold 16/33 for 172 yards, 0 touchdowns, and 3 interceptions. Darnold now leads the league with 11 thrown through 9 games. The Patriots capitalized off of these mistakes by scoring 10 points in the 3rd quarter and never looking back.

McCaffrey finished with 106 total yards, but failed to reach the end zone in his return. The whole team did as the Panthers just managed two 2nd quarter field goals for all their points in this one. In fact, the Panthers have only managed 1 touchdown in their last 3 games as they seem to be fading fast, finding themselves last in the NFC South currently. They seem to have more questions than answers as Darnold is dealing with a shoulder injury and his status for upcoming games is now in question. To make matters worse they travel to NFC leading Arizona Cardinals this Sunday.

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