We’re headed for Week 15, and the New Orleans Saints are in a bad way. They’ve lost 9 of their 13 games this season and 4 of their last 5 matchups, scoring 27 of their last 66 points in one game (Week 11’s rout of the Los Angeles Rams). It’s hardly where you want to be coming out of the bye week. To make matters worse, every other team in their division has won at least five games this year — meaning the Saints are in sole possession of last-place among their peers.
So what were the other NFC South teams up to with the Saints resting during their bye week? The Atlanta Falcons also had the week off, but they took the opportunity to name rookie draft pick Desmond Ridder their new starting quarterback. Meanwhile, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were very nearly shut out by the San Francisco 49ers in a stunning loss. And the Carolina Panthers survived a late rally by the Seattle Seahawks to get closer to the playoffs than they’ve been in years.
Here’s the updated NFC South standings after Week 14:
1
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-7)
Point differential: -30
Playoff odds (via FiveThirtyEight): 64%
Next opponent: vs. Cincinnati Bengals (9-4)
2
Carolina Panthers (5-8)
Point differential: -30
Playoff odds (via FiveThirtyEight): 33%
Next opponent: vs. Pittsburgh Steelers (5-8)
3
Atlanta Falcons (5-8)
Point differential: -24
Playoff odds (via FiveThirtyEight): 4%
Next opponent: at New Orleans Saints (4-9)
4
New Orleans Saints (4-9)
Point differential: -32
Playoff odds (via FiveThirtyEight): 0.9%
Next opponent: vs. Atlanta Falcons (5-8)
