Buccaneers Fall Further Behind Falcons in NFC South Race After Week 9

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' NFC South hopes are dwindling.

Nov 4, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) runs with the ball against Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Josh Hayes (32) and safety Antoine Winfield Jr. (31) during overtime at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had aspirations to win their division for the 4th year in a row. Now, that goal is looking more and more difficult as time goes on.

The Bucs dropped a close 30-24 game to the Kansas City Chiefs in overtime, going to 4-5 on the year. They'll face the San Francisco 49ers in what should be a tough game in Week 10 before the bye week, and their schedule after that is quite favorable — but with how things have been going recently, it may not matter.

The team to watch is the Atlanta Falcons, who now control their own destiny after sweeping the Bucs in the division and currently sit at 4-0 in the NFC South. They unfortunately won their game against the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, bringing them to 6-3 — two games out from the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who would need to win one more game than the Falcons to win the NFC South.

Here's how the division currently stands:

Team	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA	Home	Away	Strk.
Atlanta Falcons	6	3	0	.667	221	216	3-3	3-0	W2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	5	0	.444	259	243	2-3	2-2	L3
Carolina Panthers	2	7	0	.222	147	293	1-3	1-4	W1
New Orleans Saints	2	7	0	.222	207	229	1-3	1-4	L7

There was indeed a change at the bottom of the division. The New Orleans Saints played the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and the Panthers emerged victorious, putting them one slot ahead of the Saints in the division. That was a bad loss for the Saints — so bad, in fact, that they fired their head coach Dennis Allen afterward.

The Bucs will play the 49ers at home while the Falcons will face the New Orleans Saints for the second time, The Carolina Panthers will play the New York Giants in Germany.

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