Does anyone want to win the NFC South? It doesn’t seem like it after the Bucs and Panthers traded favors in Week 15. Now, the division race will come down to the final three weeks of the season, a stretch that will see the two teams meet twice, with the first matchup coming next Sunday afternoon in Charlotte.

It was all so simple two weeks ago for the Bucs as they geared up for a run at a fifth straight NFC South title and a sixth consecutive playoff appearance. Beat the two-win Saints and four-win Falcons at home and it would mean a potential division title-clinching game against the Panthers in Week 16.

Then, they lost to the Saints in embarrassing fashion. Fine, whatever. Even after that, just a week ago, everything was still relatively simple as far as clinching before the Week 18 regular season finale at home against the Panthers. Rebound with a win over the Falcons, beat the Panthers on the road in Week 16 and then take care of business against the Dolphins in Miami to clinch the South in Week 17.

Then Thursday night happened. Tampa Bay led Atlanta 28-14 with 10 minutes to go only to lose 29-28 on a last-second field goal. Kirk Cousins did it to the Bucs again, sending Todd Bowles and Co. to their fifth loss in six games since the bye week and sixth loss in the last eight games overall. The Bucs have slipped from 5-1 and 6-2 all the way down to 7-7.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

With that loss on Thursday night, the Bucs faced a half-game deficit in the NFC South race heading into the weekend. And if the Panthers could go to the Superdome on Sunday afternoon and beat the Saints, they would have a full one-game lead and set up their own win-and-in clinching scenario when the Bucs visit next week.

But as much as Tampa Bay looked to give control of the division right over to Carolina on Thursday night, Dave Canales’ team responded by handing it right back. The Panthers led the Saints 17-7 in the third quarter and looked like they were on their way to the win they needed, but Tyler Shough led the Saints back.

Shough threw a game-tying touchdown to Chris Olave with 2:29 left and then, after a Chase Young sack of Bryce Young just after the two-minute warning, the Saints got the ball back. Passes of 19 and 9 yards from Shough to Audric Estime got the drive going, then the rookie found Olave for 15 yards. But the biggest play came on a 4-yard rush up the middle by Shough with 12 seconds left, as Lathan Ransom was called for unnecessary roughness.

That put the Saints in range for a 47-yard field goal, which Charlie Smyth nailed to finish off the comeback, the upset and a season sweep of the Panthers.

With that loss, the Panthers lost the half-game lead they had on the Bucs coming into the day. The two teams now sit in a tie atop the division, with Tampa Bay holding the tiebreaker heading into a showdown between the two sides in Week 16.

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

The scenario, somehow after the events of the last two weeks at Raymond James Stadium, remains simple for Baker Mayfield and the Buccaneers. Any two wins in their final three games will be enough to capture a fifth straight division title and a sixth playoff appearance in a row.

NFC South Standings Through Week 15

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 7-7 (2-2 in NFC South)
Carolina Panthers – 7-7 (2-2 in NFC South)
Atlanta Falcons – 5-9 (2-3 in NFC South) — 2 games back
New Orleans Saints – 4-10 (3-2 in NFC South) — 3 games back

Remaining Schedules for Tampa Bay and Carolina:

Bucs: at Panthers (7-7), at Dolphins (6-7), vs. Panthers (7-7)
Panthers: vs. Bucs (7-7), vs. Seahawks (11-3), at Bucs (7-7)

As for the rest of the NFC playoff picture, there was plenty more movement, plus the Rams became the first team to clinch a playoff spot when they beat the Lions 41-34 during the 4:00 p.m. window. With that, they also kept their hold of the top spot in the NFC West and the NFC as a whole.

The Seahawks beat the Colts on Sunday afternoon, 18-16, to spoil Phillip Rivers’ return to the NFL and keep pace in the NFC West. That was a huge result for Seattle, as it got the team to 11-3 ahead of a Thursday night matchup with 11-3 Los Angeles. The Rams currently have the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks, but if the Seahawks win the game on Thursday night, they’ll take over the NFC West lead and the top spot in the NFC with only two weeks to go in the regular season.

Elsewhere in the NFC West, the 49ers beat the Titans 37-24 to get their 10th win. They’re just one game back of the Rams and Seahawks, and for the time being, they hold the No. 6 seed in the NFC.

Week 15 also saw the NFC North lead change hands again. The Bears took care of business easily against the Browns during the 1:00 p.m. slate on Sunday, winning 31-3 to get themselves to 10-4. Then, Ben Johnson’s team got some help during the 4:00 p.m. window when the Broncos beat the Packers 34-26 in Denver.

That puts 10-4 Chicago back in possession of the No. 2 seed, while 9-4-1 Green Bay drops all the way down to the No. 7 seed. The Bears and Packers meet again in Week 16, squaring off in Chicago on Saturday night.

Meanwhile, with the Lions’ loss to the Rams, they dropped to 8-6 and still sit on the outside looking in with three weeks left.

The Eagles had a classic get-right game against the Raiders on Sunday, pitching a 31-0 shutout to get back on track and improve to 9-5. They are still the NFC’s No. 3 seed heading into Week 16.

Bucs WR Emeka Egbuka – Photo by: USA Today

There’s still time for everything to change, and with the way the Bucs are playing, they’re far from being a shoo-in for the playoffs. But with the way the standings look right now, the Rams would have a first-round bye and home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, while the NFC matchups on Wild Card Weekend would pit the Bears against the Packers in Chicago, the Eagles against the 49ers in Philadelphia and the Bucs against the Seahawks in Tampa.

NFC Standings Through Week 15 (**Before Sunday Night Football**)

1. Los Angeles Rams – 11-3 (Rams hold head-to-head tiebreaker over the Seahawks in NFC West)
2. Chicago Bears – 10-4
3. Philadelphia Eagles – 9-5
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 7-7 (Bucs hold record vs. common opponents tiebreaker over Panthers)
5. Seattle Seahawks – 11-3
6. San Francisco 49ers – 10-4
7. Green Bay Packers – 9-4-1

———- IN THE HUNT ———-
8. Detroit Lions – 8-6
9. Carolina Panthers – 7-7
10. Dallas Cowboys – 6-6-1