Brief Atlanta Falcons Slide Keeps Tampa Bay Buccaneers in NFC South Hunt

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may have life yet in the NFC South.

Nov 17, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins (18) during the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images / Ron Chenoy-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a rough opening frame of their season, but perhaps no part was rougher than losing to the Atlanta Falcons twice. The Falcons were the team to beat in the NFC South, and with two losses against them, the Bucs can now only wait to see what Atlanta does before having any hope of winning the division.

Well, as it turns out, that may not be as difficult as it initially seems.

The Bucs were on bye in Week 11, but the Atlanta Falcons lost their game to the Denver Broncos. That's their second in a row after losing to the New Orleans Saints two weeks ago, and if the Buccaneers are to win their Week 12 game against the New York Giants while the Falcons are on bye, they'll be just two games back from leading the division.

Here's what the NFC South looks like after Week 11:

Team	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA	Home	Away	Strk.
Atlanta Falcons	6	5	0	.545	244	274	3-3	3-2	L2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	6	0	.400	279	266	2-4	2-2	L4
New Orleans Saints	4	7	0	.364	262	260	3-3	1-4	W2
Carolina Panthers	3	7	0	.300	167	310	2-3	1-4	W2

The Falcons will play the Chargers, Vikings and Commanders, among other teams, so their schedule from here on out isn't incredibly easy. The Bucs, meanwhile, play a slew of easy games, with the hardest coming against the Chargers — that being said, Tampa Bay must win one more game than the Falcons do to secure the division title.

The New Orleans Saints won their second game in a row against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday while the Carolina Panthers, like the Buccaneers, were on bye after a victory in London over the Giants.

The Bucs will play the Giants Sunday while the Falcons and Saints take their bye week. The Carolina Panthers will have their hands full, facing off against the Kansas City Chiefs at home.

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