Buccaneers Give NFC South Back to Falcons With 2 Games Remaining

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have been knocked back down the NFC South ladder after a Falcons win against the Giants.

Oct 3, 2024; Atlanta, Georgia, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver KhaDarel Hodge (12) runs after a catch to score the game-winning touchdown against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in overtime at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-Imagn Images / Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had an opportunity to retain their one-game lead over the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday by defeating the Dallas Cowboys. They squandered it.

The Bucs dropped that game 26-24 in Dallas on prime time, and in doing so, fell to 8-7. That's a tie for first place in the NFC South after the Atlanta Falcons defeated the New York Giants 34-7, but because Atlanta has beaten the Buccaneers twice this year, the Falcons have taken back the division lead with two games remaining.

The Carolina Panthers picked up a 36-30 overtime win against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, while the New Orleans Saints became the first team to get shut out this year when the Green Bay Packers demolished them 34-0.

Here's what the NFC South looks like after Week 16:

Team	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA	Home	Away	Strk
Atlanta Falcons	8	7	0	.533	327	349	4-4	4-3	W2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	8	7	0	.533	427	352	3-4	5-3	L1
New Orleans Saints	5	10	0	.333	309	346	3-5	2-5	L2
Carolina Panthers	4	11	0	.267	283	448	3-6	1-5	W1

As it stands now, Tampa Bay will need the Atlanta Falcons to lose one more game than Tampa Bay does during this next stretch in order to win the NFC South and make the playoffs. A wildcard berth was previously in the cards, but a Washington Commanders win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday made that much harder. The Buccaneers will face off against the Panthers and Saints to end their season while the Falcons will go up against the Commanders and the Panthers to close out theirs.

The Panthers will face off against the Buccaneers this week while the Saints will go up against the Las Vegas Raiders. The Falcons will tilt with the Commanders on prime time Sunday night.

Stick with BucsGameday for more coverage of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throughout the 2024 season.

Follow BucsGameday on Twitter and Facebook

---

More Tampa Bay Buccaneers News

• Former Bucs QB Tom Brady Names His Top 5 NFL Teams Ahead of Week 16

• Keys To Cannon Fire: How The Bucs Can Beat The Cowboys

• Is Tampa Bay Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin A Franchise Tag Candidate in 2025?

• Tampa Bay Buccaneers OC Liam Coen Addresses Head Coaching Candidate Rumors