As bad as things felt for the Bucs when they sunk to 4-7 with a loss to the Colts last week, the hope that remained was that they were still only one game out of first place in the NFC South. That meant a win over the 1-10 Panthers on Sunday would set them up for a huge swing game against the Falcons in Week 14.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Bucs got exactly that, struggling their way to a 21-18 win on a rainy evening at Raymond James Stadium. Mike Evans was the day’s big star as he caught seven passes for 162 yards and a touchdown en route to surpassing the 1,000-yard receiving mark for the 10th straight season. Tampa Bay’s defense did enough to hold Panthers rookie quarterback Bryce Young in check, with a late Antoine Winfield Jr. interception sealing the deal.

The division-leading Falcons didn’t falter during the 1:00 p.m. window, beating the Jets 13-8. Desmond Ridder and MyCole Pruitt connected for the game’s only touchdown, and the Atlanta defense did the rest. The quarterback combination of Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian couldn’t get the job done for New York despite Ridder and the Falcons offense putting up just 194 total yards. With the win, Atlanta stayed in first place and improved to 6-6 on the year.

While the Bucs didn’t get help from the Jets, they did get some from the Lions, who beat the Saints 33-28 in New Orleans during the early window of games. Detroit jumped out to a 21-0 first-quarter lead and never looked back. The Saints eventually saw quarterback Derek Carr leave the game early once again, as he went down with shoulder and back injuries while also entering concussion protocol. Jameis Winston entered the game late in place of Carr and ultimately couldn’t bring the team back.

After Week 13, both the Bucs and Saints are 5-7 and one game behind the Falcons for first place. Tampa Bay has the tiebreaker over New Orleans right now, having won the only meeting between the two sides so far. Todd Bowles’ team also possesses a better record within the division.

So, with five games to go now, the race for the division title, the NFC’s No. 4 seed and a home playoff game is still wide open. Here is a look at the updated NFC South Standings through Week 13:

Atlanta Falcons 6-6 (3-0 in the NFC South)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-7 (2-1 in the NFC South)
New Orleans Saints 5-7 (1-2 in the NFC South)
Carolina Panthers 1-11 (0-3 in the NFC South)

Bucs’ Biggest Remaining Opportunity Comes In Week 14

Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett and Falcons QB Desmond Ridder – Photo by: USA Today

While Week 13 created little movement in the NFC South race, Week 14 is the biggest remaining opportunity for Todd Bowles and the Bucs as far as their playoff hopes are concerned.

That’s because Tampa Bay makes the short trip up to Atlanta next Sunday. The Falcons and Bucs both winning in Week 13 means that one game still separates the two teams in the standings, but what happens in Week 14 could set the tone for the final four weeks of the season.

If the Bucs beat the Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium, there will be a tie between the two teams atop the division at 6-7. Tampa Bay would also get its win back and secure a season series split, as the Falcons won the previous meeting 16-13 at Raymond James Stadium back in Week 7.

It would be huge for tiebreakers because not only would that mean a split, but it’d be Atlanta’s first loss within the division, dropping its NFC South record to 3-1. Meanwhile, it would improve Tampa Bay’s NFC South record to 3-1.

“Coach Bowles said it last night. We have an eight-day window, including today, that we can be in first place in this division,” Bucs quarterback Baker Mayfield said after Sunday’s win. “So, take care of business next week and see what happens the rest of the way. But it’s a one-game-at-a-time mentality and our guys came ready to play and found a way to win. It doesn’t have to be pretty, a lot of things to correct, but we found a way to win.”

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Obviously, a win in Atlanta doesn’t guarantee anything about the race. Everything would still be on the Bucs to take care of their business with remaining games against the Packers, Jaguars, Saints and Panthers. They’d likely still have to go 3-1 in those games to feel good about their chances at the end of the regular season.

Now, on the flip side, a loss by the Bucs in Week 14 really would give the Falcons a stranglehold on the division. They’d have the sweep over Tampa Bay, a 4-0 record within the division and a two-game lead in the NFC South with four games left.

Tampa Bay would be left at 2-2 within the division and would need to probably run the table and get some help over the final four weeks to erase Atlanta’s big divisional record advantage.

Falcons, Bucs And Saints May Fight Over First Until The Very End

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. and Falcons QB Desmond Ridder – Photo by: USA Today

For weeks, we’ve been talking about this NFC South race being decided down the stretch. Well, we’re finally here and the following games will be huge in determining the division winner.

Week 14 (Dec. 10) — Carolina at New Orleans
Week 14 (Dec. 10) — Tampa Bay at Atlanta
Week 15 (Dec. 17) — Atlanta at Carolina
Week 17 (Dec. 31) — New Orleans at Tampa Bay
Week 18 (Jan. 7) — Atlanta at New Orleans
Week 18 (Jan. 7) — Tampa Bay at Carolina

Here are the remaining schedules for the three teams vying for the NFC South crown:

Falcons: vs. Bucs, at Panthers, vs. Colts, at Bears, at Saints

Bucs: at Falcons, at Packers, vs. Jaguars, vs. Saints, at Panthers

Saints: vs. Panthers, vs. Giants, at Rams, at Bucs, vs. Falcons