The Atlanta Falcons struck out in their Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but luckily they play in the NFL's sorriest division and the other three NFC South teams also lost on Sunday. Collectively, the division went 0-4, but all four losses were of a different variety.
Starting with the Falcons, they played about as well as they could have on defense but their offense couldn't carry its weight despite a dominant performance by Bijan Robinson (173 all-purpose yards). The Steelers intercepted third-string quarterback Cooper Rush twice, including a pick-six, before sending Atlanta home with a 20-13 loss.
The New Orleans Saints trailed 21-0 to the Detroit Lions at Ford Field before going on an incredible second-half run and sending the game
into overtime. The Lions scored first to go up 31-24, but the Saints answered with a touchdown of their own. However, they failed to convert a two-point conversion and the Lions held on for a 31-30 win.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had some Zac-Robinson-themed operation issues on offense in their 33-27 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals on the road. Plus, Baker Mayfield lost three of four fumbles against the Bengals defense and the Bucs couldn't climb all the way back.
Last but not least, the Carolina Panthers lost a 59-37 shootout to the Chicago Bears at home. After getting off to slow start, the Panthers came back with a vengeance and made things interesting. Carolina ultimately couldn't stop Chicago's dynamic running game and still lost by 22 points to Ben Johnson and Caleb Williams.
NFC South standings after Week 1
- Atlanta Falcons (0-1)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (0-1)
- New Orleans Saints (0-1)
- Carolina Panthers (0-1)
The Falcons will host the Panthers in Week 2, while the Saints and Buccaneers will each face AFC North opponents. New Orleans will face Baltimore on the road, and Tampa Bay will host the Cleveland Browns.
NFL Week 1 isn't totally in the books just yet, though. The Kansas City Chiefs will host the Denver Broncos on Monday night to close out the opening week of the 2026 season.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: NFC South Standings: Falcons bailed out by NFL's worst division
