Well, things are getting worse for the Buccaneers. After losing to the Buffalo Bills last week, Tampa Bay was nearly tied with the Panthers at the top of the division, and wins were a necessity, but that didn’t happen in Week 12. Instead, the division leaders lost to the Rams by 27 points, and QB Baker Mayfield went down with a shoulder injury. For QBs, shoulder injuries are a big worry if they are on the throwing arm, but good news for Mayfield, it was on the other arm. Still, this is the downside to Mayfield’s style of play, which can get him in tough injury situations like this.
Another team that has dealt with QB injuries is the Falcons, but in Week 12, that did not matter. Atlanta overcame the odds and beat the divisional rival, the New Orleans Saints. Although there were some big plays by the offense, the defense is the real hero of this game for Atlanta. The Saints were unable to score an offensive touchdown (which I will get to later) and only scored one field goal (which I will also get to). Without a first-round draft pick in 2026, the Falcons are only playing for wins, and they got it done.
Somehow, someway, the Panthers had a chance to go first in the division. If you had told Panthers fans early in the season that this would happen, they would have called you crazy, but that is what happened. The only issue was that Carolina lost their game, and it was an ugly one. The running game struggled, QB Bryce Young threw two interceptions, and the passing game was not good. Offense was not their strong suit against the San Francisco 49ers, but the defense gave them many opportunities to steal the game.
Last year, when the Saints faced off against the Falcons in their first matchup of the season, the feeling most came away with was that the Saints should not have lost. This feels similar. New Orleans’ defense was stopping the Falcons for most of the game, and the offense was driving down the field into the redzone, so how did they only come away with three points? Well, kicker Blake Grupe, who is no longer on the team, missed two field goals; one of those was a make before the half for the Falcons, and the Saints’ playcalling with less than 5 yards to the end zone was bad. Moore seemed lost at times in the red zone, and instead of putting the ball in QB Tyler Shough’s hands or giving it to your rookie RB who was playing well, most of the plays were called for Taysom Hill, and the defense knew what was coming. The Saints should have scored at least two touchdowns in this game, but didn’t.
**Current NFC South Standings**
1. Buccaneers (6-5)
2. Panthers (6-6)
3. Falcons (4-7)
4. Saints (2-9)
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