Bucs Win Crucial NFC South Game to Stay in Race

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers' win vs. the New Orleans Saints was important in the NFC South race.

Oct 13, 2024; New Orleans, Louisiana, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield (6) hands off to running back Sean Tucker (44) during the second half against the New Orleans Saints at Caesars Superdome. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Lew-Imagn Images / Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

It was a big week for the NFC South, as there were two divisional matchups on Sunday. The good news is that the Tampa Bay Buccaneers won theirs — the bad news is that their main competitor in the division did, too.

The Bucs faced off against the New Orleans Saints on the road on Sunday, and while things got a bit dicey in the second quarter when New Orleans scored 27 points, Tampa Bay rallied and put up quite a bit more the rest of the game to pitch a second-half shutout and win 51-27. Tampa Bay moves to 4-2 and knocks the Saints down to 2-4, and they got their first win in the NFC South this year.

Team	W	L	T	Pct	PF	PA	Home	Away	Strk
Atlanta Falcons	4	2	0	.667	149	135	2-2	2-0	W2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	4	2	0	.667	178	141	2-1	2-1	W1
New Orleans Saints	2	4	0	.333	167	147	1-2	1-2	L4
Carolina Panthers	1	5	0	.167	103	203	1-2	0-3	L3

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Unfortunately, the Atlanta Falcons played the Carolina Panthers, and they came out with that win on the road 38-20. That win makes the Falcons 3-0 in the division, so the Bucs will desperately need to come out with the win when the two play again in Week 8 at home at the end of October. The Panthers never appeared to be a real threat, and they still aren't with a 1-5 record on the year.

Tampa Bay is set to face off against Baltimore on Monday Night Football in Week 7 at home. The Saints will play football again with a quick turnaround as they take on the Denver Broncos on Thursday and the Falcons will have a tough matchup against the Seattle Seahawks at home Sunday. The Panthers will take on the red-hot Washington Commanders for their Week 7 game.

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