A week of blown leads, close games, and two NFC South teams winning. What an exciting week of football!
Here is how each team did in Week 6:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
After entering the fourth quarter with a 16-3 home lead, the Buccaneers and rookie QB Jalon Daniels looked set for their second win of the season, but instead head coach Todd Bowles’ seat got even hotter. The Pittsburgh Steelers scored 16 points in the fourth quarter, and Aaron Rodgers was impossible to stop. It didn’t help that the Bucs kept turning the ball
over. The game went to overtime, and the Steelers won.
It’s only a matter of time before Bowles gets fired, and with the team back at the bottom of the NFC South, the clock is ticking.
Carolina Panthers
Atop the NFC South, the Panthers had a really good chance to extend their lead with Jalen Hurts being out for the Eagles. That’s exactly what happened, and although it was a bit closer than Carolina would have likely wanted, Bryce Young and Chuba Hubbard had really great games. This offense continues to be one to watch in the NFC, but the pass defense is a major worry.
Next week, Carolina faces the Bucs in an NFC South battle, so they’ll likely get another win.
Atlanta Falcons
One team in the division that had to make their own comeback was the Falcons, and they nearly did it with Bijan Robinson having under 70 yards running the ball. At one point in the fourth quarter, the Chicago Bears led 31-7, but the Falcons cut the lead to 31-23 with 5 minutes left. Penix was sacked after getting the ball back again, which led to a fumble, and the Bears never looked back at that point.
If the Falcons played as well as they did in that fourth quarter all game, we may be talking about a different result, and it would have been a big win against a potential playoff team. Next week, the Falcons must play better as they face the undefeated San Francisco 49ers.
New Orleans Saints
Of course, another almost-comeback in the NFC South, but the Saints were nearly victims of it. After dominating the third quarter, Kellen Moore pulled starters early in the fourth quarter, and that was way too early. Momentum shifted once CJ Donaldson fumbled, and all of a sudden, the Saints needed their starters back in, and the defense that had kept the Saints in this game had to defend an entirely new QB. If the Saints kept their significant lead and maybe even extended it, we would be having a different conversation, but the doubt around Moore has not subsided after the near comeback by the Giants.
Now, if the game even happens in Paris, a blowout loss to the Steelers may end Moore’s time in New Orleans.
NFC South standings:
- Carolina Panthers (3-2)
- Atlanta Falcons (2-4)
- New Orleans Saints (2-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-5)
