Thanks to all that went on elsewhere in the NFC South earlier in Week 9, the Bucs took the field in Chicago for their Sunday night game against the Bears with a chance to claim sole possession of the division lead at the halfway point of the season. The scenario was clear: A win at Soldier Field would have Tampa Bay at 4-5, a half-game ahead of both Carolina and New Orleans and a full game ahead of last-place Atlanta.

Instead, that chance went up in smoke as the Bucs used five takeaways to battle back from a 17-6 deficit to tie the game late only to then lose on a last-second field goal. The slip-up, which makes them 3-6 heading into their bye week, drops them down to third place in the NFC South.

Bears WR Luther Burden III and Bucs ILB Alex Anzalone – Photo by: IMAGN Images via Reuters Connect

That’s because the Saints, who entered the weekend in last place at 2-5, emerged from Sunday as the only victorious team in the division. They played an ugly one with the Browns at the Superdome, at least for much of the afternoon. It turned into a thriller in the end, with Shedeur Sanders hitting KC Concepcion for a 64-yard touchdown and a 13-9 lead with 5:21 to go in the fourth. New Orleans came back with an Audric Estime touchdown to go ahead 16-13 with only 58 seconds remaining, but allowed a game-tying field goal from 51 yards out to force overtime.

In overtime, Tyler Shough found Juwan Johnson for a go-ahead touchdown and while the Browns responded with a 39-yard touchdown pass from Sanders to Harold Fannin Jr., their attempt at the two-point conversion and the win failed. With that, the Saints escaped, 23-22, to improve to 3-5. And with results elsewhere, that’s now good enough for a tie atop the division.

The Falcons got the day going for the NFL, taking on the Bengals in Madrid. Atlanta led 10-7 after one quarter, but Cincinnati took it away from there. The Bengals scored 17 straight to end the half and while the Falcons came back to get within 24-17 in the third quarter, they allowed the final 10 points and ultimately lost 34-17. Kevin Stefanski’s team is now 3-6 after back-to-back losses and sits in last place in the division.

Falcons HC Kevin Stefanski – Photo by: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

And finally, the Panthers — leaders of the NFC South heading into Week 9 — dropped their home game against the Broncos to fall to 3-5. Carolina led 14-13 heading into the final quarter, but a Jonah Coleman touchdown run and a touchdown pass from Bo Nix to Pat Bryant pushed Denver into the lead at 26-14. A Bryce Young-to-Tetairoa McMillan touchdown with 3:05 to go closed the gap to 26-21, but a Nik Bonitto sack-fumble on Young got the ball back to the Broncos offense, which went on to close out the game.

But with Tampa Bay’s loss, Carolina remains in first place. Dave Canales’ team is tied with New Orleans at 3-5, but win out with the divisional record tiebreaker.

NFC South Standings Through Week 9

Carolina Panthers — 3-5 (1-1 vs. NFC South) —
New Orleans Saints — 3-5 (0-1 vs. NFC South) —
Tampa Bay Buccaneers — 3-6 (2-0 vs. NFC South) — 0.5 games back
Atlanta Falcons — 3-6 (1-2 vs. NFC South) — 0.5 games back

What Lies Ahead In The NFC South As The Bucs Hit Their Bye Week?

After Sunday night’s devastating last-second loss, the Bucs will now have their bye week to regroup and gear up for the regular season’s closing stretch, which begins for them on Nov. 22 against the Lions in Detroit. While Todd Bowles and Co. are off next week, the rest of the NFC South will have a chance to gain a half-game on them in the standings.

Bucs HC Todd Bowles – Photo by: Jeffrey Jones/PR

With that said, the Bucs remain in a good spot nonetheless, even at 3-6. The Panthers and Saints meet in New Orleans next Sunday with first place in the division on the line. That means one team will gain that half-game on the Bucs while the other will lose a half-game.

Not only that, but the reeling Falcons play host to the 6-2 Chiefs, and they’ll be home underdogs in that one. So, there’s a very high likelihood that Tampa Bay gains a half-game on the loser of the Carolina/New Orleans matchup and Atlanta while only losing a half-game on one team.

Not to mention, the Bucs’ current 2-0 record within the NFC South has them in a favorable position in the race already. The fact that their upcoming schedule — and really, their remaining schedule — is lighter than the front half should also help as they try to dig out of the hole they dug for themselves with their 0-4/1-5 start to the season.

After the bye, Tampa Bay has a tough game in Detroit, but then comes a home rematch against Carolina followed by a home game against the winless Los Angeles Chargers. The Lions (Week 11) and Rams (Week 17) are the only two of the Bucs’ remaining eight opponents with winning records right now.

Upcoming Schedules In The NFC South (Weeks 10-14):

Panthers: at Saints (3-5), vs. Ravens (4-5), at Bucs (3-5), at Vikings (6-1), vs. Saints (3-5)
Buccaneers: BYE WEEK, at Lions (6-2), vs. Panthers (3-5), vs. Chargers (0-8), at Ravens (4-5)
Falcons: vs. Chiefs (6-2), BYE WEEK, at Vikings (6-1), vs. Lions (6-2), at Browns (5-4)
Saints: vs. Panthers (3-5), at Bears (7-2), at Bengals (6-2), vs. Packers (6-3), at Panthers (3-5)

If it hasn’t already, let it sink in for a minute: Through nine weeks of the 2026 NFL regular season, every team in the NFC South is at three wins. Three. What a division.