State of the NFC South: Week 8

TAMPA, FLORIDA - NOVEMBER 1: Baker Mayfield #6 of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers takes the field prior to the game against the Atlanta Falcons at Raymond James Stadium on November 1, 2026 in Tampa, Florida. (Photo by Mike Carlson/Getty Images) | Getty Images Only one winner from the NFC South this week, o

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What is the story about?

Only one winner from the NFC South this week, one on bye week, and one of the worst games of the season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers:

So, let’s address that worst game of the season. With horrible weather in Tampa Bay, the Buccaneers shut out the Atlanta Falcons 16-0, and as you can guess, it was ugly. With this being between two NFC South teams, I’ll get to the Buccaneers’ defensive performance there and speak on how much trouble they gave Michael Penix, but let’s focus on Tampa Bay’s offense.

QB Baker Mayfield was, and I’m not

joking, 0-3 on the day, and the Buccaneers had zero passing yards. If you had told me that statline, I would have thought it was a blizzard. The running game, obviously, was the star of the game. Bucky Irving had 170 rushing yards and 1 touchdown, while Kenneth Gainwell had 140 yards. Suddenly, Tampa Bay is on a two-game win streak, but their next opponent, the Chicago Bears, will be a challenge.

Carolina Panthers:

The other team that played this week was the Carolina Panthers, and after firing their defensive coordinator, they didn’t win. The Panthers are losing their lead in first place after going on a losing streak, but it wasn’t a horrible loss. Bryce Young played decently; the run game had a fine game, and the run defense did really well. The pass defense, which has been the issue this season, was what got exposed, but they did get an interception.

Carolina needs to break the loss streak before it’s too late, but their next game is against the Broncos.

Atlanta Falcons:

On the other side of that horrible game, the Falcons barely showed up. They attempted to pass, and it ended up with Michael Penix throwing 4, yes, 4, interceptions and only completing 8-24 passes. Then, when running the ball, they were seeing success but didn’t go to Bijan Robinson enough. The defense did their job, but the offense didn’t.

Maybe it will be better against the Cincinnati Bengals, but also, that team is 5-2.