The NFL regular season is now halfway over. The only team in the NFC South who has not had their bye week is the Carolina Panthers. The other three teams have each played eight games. There is no other team in the NFC with more teams at or above .500 than the NFC South. Only the NFC West has more total wins of any division, anchored by the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals. After Week 9, this division looks to be one of the closest in the NFL. This is the NFC South mid-season review for the 2021 NFL Regular season.
NFC South Review and Breakdown After Week 9
Still leading the way in the NFC South is the defending Super Bowl Champions. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers look to capture the division and keep pace at the top seed in the NFC. The Buccaneers lead the division by one game over the second-place team currently. At 6-2 so far this year, the Buccaneers have one win in the division over the Atlanta Falcons. The Buccaneers two losses are both to NFC teams which could matter in seeding as the season wanes. In the next four weeks, the Buccaneers can pad their record with games against the Washington Football Team, New York Giants, and Atlanta. It looks likely that the Buccaneers will continue to lead this division.
The New Orleans Saints rank second in the NFC South. The Saints do own a victory over the Buccaneers, which could matter later this year. Health is the main issue with the Saints going forward. Jameis Winston was growing in his new lead role with the Saints but was injured on an illegal hit against the Buccaneers. The Saints now have Trevor Siemian, Taysom Hill, and Ian Book left to start for the team. This team is likely to be up and down all year. After defeating the Buccaneers in Week 8, the Saints then lost to the Falcons in Week 9. At 5-3 on the year, the Saints are likely to be in contention for a wild card spot going forward.
Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers Holding Steady
The Atlanta Falcons come in third in the NFC South currently. This is after upsetting the Saints in New Orleans in Week 9. The Falcons are now at .500 for the season, having won three of their last four games. Kyle Pitts has emerged as a consistent target for quarterback Matt Ryan. The biggest surprise on the team though is Cordarelle Patterson’s production. A journeyman over his career, Patterson has become a threat in all aspects on the field for the Falcons. This team has enough talent and leadership to make waves in this division going forward.
In last place, but still within striking distance, is the Carolina Panthers. After starting the season hot, the Panthers have cooled dramatically. The Panthers have gone from 3-0 to 4-5 on the season. This downswing has been mostly at the hand of Sam Darnold. After throwing over 65% completion percentage in his first four games, Darnold is now averaging 52% in his last five games. Darnold has also thrown eight interceptions over this period. The Panthers still have the talent to compete with any team in the NFC South, but they will need better play out of all of their star players to get out of the basement.
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NFC South Going Forward
In the NFC South, The Buccaneers will try to keep rolling towards a division title. They still have to play the Falcons, Saints, and Panthers twice. For the Saints, three of their last four games are against the NFC South. These three games will likely decide the winner and runner-up in the division. If the first half of the season is any indicator, the NFC South will likely remain to be one of the most interesting and best divisions in all of football.
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