State of the NFC South: Entering Week 12

SB Nation

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

This week, the Buccaneers may have just had one of the best games of the year. Against the Buffalo Bills, who were also part of the game, the final score was 44-32, but it was a back-and-forth battle all

day. The interesting part of this matchup was that the QBs actually didn’t play too well. Yes, Josh Allen had 317 yards, but he also had two interceptions on the day. Mayfield only had 173 yards and one interception. The real MVP on the Buccaneers was RB Sean Tucker, who was excellent in the passing and rushing game. Still, with nine minutes left in the game, the Bills’ defense stood firm and stopped the Bucs from scoring any more points.

Atlanta Falcons

The Falcons have had a disappointing season, and it only continues. For this week’s NFC South battle, the Falcons faced off against the Panthers, and the game actually went to overtime. Ultimately, Carolina squeaked by with a win. Besides the loss, the biggest news after was that QB Michael Penix re-injured his knee and may be out for the season. His play for Atlanta wasn’t the best, but it still kept the Falcons in this game, and it felt like it was over once he was knocked out. Now, with a 3-7 record, a young QB dealing with injuries, and without a first-round pick, Atlanta is in a horrible situation.

Carolina Panthers

On the other side of this matchup, the Panthers somehow won. The reason I say ‘somehow’ is that the odds were against them once the Falcons stopped their running game, just as the Saints did last week. But, instead of Bryce Young crumbling under the pressure and throwing the game away, he threw for 448 yards and three touchdowns. This was one of the best games of Young’s young (pun intended) career, and again, looking at last week, this has been the story of his career. One game that is great and shows promising signs for the future, and one that is bad. Now, the Panthers are only a half-game away from first place in the division.