After a disastrous start to the season, the Atlanta Falcons can take over first place in NFC South with a win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. The Falcons have won three out for their last five games while the Carolina Panthers have lost two in a row.
The Panthers kicked off Week 8 by losing to the Green Bay Packers, 27-19, on Thursday Night Football. That loss dropped Carolina to 3-4, and despite holding the head-to-head tiebreaker over Atlanta, the Falcons would leapfrog them in the standings with a 4-4 record.
To do that, Atlanta must take care of business on the road against a 2-5 Buccaneers team this weekend. Since the Falcons haven't had their bye week yet, they will have played one more game then the Panthers at the end of Week
8.
Here's a look at updated NFC South standings following the Panthers' loss on Thursday night.
NFC South standings: Week 8
- Carolina Panthers: 3-4 (lost to Packers on TNF)
- Atlanta Falcons: 3-4
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 2-5
- New Orleans Saints: 2-5
The New Orleans Saints are off this week for their bye, and since the Panthers played on Thursday, the Falcons -Buccaneers game is the last NFC South game of the weekend.
Tampa Bay will host Atlanta this Sunday at Raymond James Stadium. Kickoff is at 1 p.m. ET.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: NFC South standings: Falcons eye first place after Panthers' loss
