The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ascended to the top of the NFC South following the Carolina Panthers loss on Sunday. It was short lived, however. Tampa’s loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday night handed the division lead back to the Panthers (3-5).
Elsewhere in the NFC South, the New Orleans Saints won to also get to 3-5 (they lose the tiebreaker to Carolina) and the Atlanta Falcons lost to fall to 3-6. The Bucs are also 3-6, but Tampa has a head-to-head win over Atlanta.
The division is still very much in
play and as we’ve seen in the past, all you have to do is get a seat at the table and get hot at the right time.
Here is the NFC playoff picture heading into Monday night when the second-seeded Minnesota Vikings face the AFC-leading Buffalo Bills.
NFC playoff standings after Sunday night
1. San Francisco 49ers (7-1)
2. Minnesota Vikings (6-1) Monday Night Football
3. New York Giants (5-2-1)
4. Carolina Panthers (3-5, 1-1 NFCS)
5. Chicago Bears (7-2)
6. Detroit Lions (6-2)
7. Green Bay Packers (6-3)
8. Seattle Seahawks (5-4, 2-1 NFCW)
9. Los Angeles Rams (5-4, 0-2 NFCW)
10. Dallas Cowboys (4-5)
11. New Orleans Saints (3-5, 0-1 NFCS)
12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-6, win over ATL, 3-3 NFC)
13. Atlanta Falcons (3-6, loss to TB, 3-3 NFC)
14. Arizona Cardinals (3-6, 2-5 NFC)
15. Washington Commanders (2-5-1)
16. Philadelphia Eagles (2-7)
