Where Do The Bucs Stand Following Week 9 Bye?

Dowdle ran 25 times for 130 yards and two touchdowns to lead the way for the Carolina offense, while the defense forced two Green Bay turnovers and held Jordan Love and Co. without a touchdown for nearly 58 minutes of game time. It was an impressive display for Dave Canales’ team only one week after a 31-point home loss to the Bills.

As for the Falcons, they came up just short against the Bucs’ next opponent, the Patriots, in Foxborough despite a monster day from a returning Drake London. After missing last week’s game, London caught nine of his 14 targets on Sunday for 118 yards and three touchdowns, with the third bringing Atlanta an extra point away from tying the game at 24 with just under five minutes to go. But Parker Romo sent that potential game-tying extra point wide, which allowed New England to hold on for a 24-23 win.

That makes it three losses in a row for the Falcons before they head to Germany to face the Colts in Week 10.

And unsurprisingly given the season they’re having and the tall task of matching up with the Rams, the Saints lost again on Sunday afternoon in the 4:00 p.m. window of games, falling 34-10 in Los Angeles. That dropped New Orleans to 1-8 ahead of a trip to face Carolina in Week 10 before a bye week that will mercifully come around in Week 11.

So, with the Bucs off, the Panthers’ victory helped them pick up a half-game in the NFC South race. Meanwhile, losses by the Falcons and Saints dropped them back another half-game.

NFC South Standings Through Week 9

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 6-2 (2-0 in NFC South)
Carolina Panthers – 5-4 (1-0 in NFC South) — 1.5 games back
Atlanta Falcons – 3-5 (0-2 in NFC South) — 3 games back
New Orleans Saints – 1-8 (0-1 in NFC South) — 5.5 games back

Remaining November Schedules for NFC South Contenders:

Bucs: vs. Patriots (7-2), at Bills (6-2), at Rams (6-2), vs. Cardinals (2-5)
Panthers: vs. Saints (1-8), at Falcons (3-5), at 49ers (6-3), vs. Rams (6-2)
Falcons: vs. Colts (7-2), vs. Panthers (5-4), at Saints (1-8), at Jets (1-7)

The Bucs will be met with a tough three-game stretch coming out of their bye week. They have the benefit of getting the Patriots at home, plus there’s the fact that Tampa Bay has a case for being the best team New England has seen this season. At the very least, the Bucs are the best team the Patriots have seen since beating the Bills in Week 5.

New England is 7-2, but Mike Vrabel’s team has benefited from the easiest schedule in the league and has a resume includes wins over the Dolphins (2-7), Saints (1-7), Titans (1-7) and Browns (2-6), as well as a loss to the Raiders (2-6).

Tampa Bay has its work cut out in facing New England, Buffalo and Los Angeles in the next three weeks, and this is a stretch that will affect not only the NFC South race but the NFC playoff picture as a whole. Speaking of which, while the Panthers’ win did cut into the Bucs’ division lead, the Packers losing that game did drop them out of the top spot in the conference, which means the Eagles and Bucs, both on byes, jumped up to the top two spots halfway through the season.

Despite its loss, though, Green Bay didn’t lose its NFC North lead, as Detroit also lost on Sunday, falling at home to Minnesota. That sent the Lions all the way down to the final Wild Card spot thanks to wins by the Rams and 49ers. And with their blowout win of the Commanders on Sunday night, the Seahawks kept their lead in the NFC West despite those Rams and 49ers victories.

NFC Standings Through Week 9

1. Philadelphia Eagles – 6-2 (holds head-to-head tiebreaker over Bucs)
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 6-2 (holds head-to-head tiebreaker over Seahawks)
3. Seattle Seahawks – 6-2 (holds win percentage vs. divisional opponents tiebreaker over Rams)
4. Green Bay Packers – 5-2-1
5. Los Angeles Rams – 6-2
6. San Francisco 49ers – 6-3
7. Detroit Lions – 5-3 (holds head-to-head tiebreaker over 5-3 Bears)

———- IN THE HUNT ———-

8. Chicago Bears – 5-3
9. Carolina Panthers – 5-4
10. Minnesota Vikings – 4-4

The 6-2 Bucs return to the field Sunday afternoon, hosting the 7-2 Patriots at Raymond James Stadium with kickoff set for 1:00 p.m.