After a week off combined with a Panthers win over the Packers cut a half-game out of their lead atop the NFC South, the Bucs had a little bit of pressure on them heading into their Week 10 game against the Patriots at Raymond James Stadium.

That pressure had as much to do with retaining their lead in the division and keeping pace in the NFC playoff picture as it did with matchups elsewhere in the league. After all, the 5-4 Panthers, who came into Week 10 just 1.5 games behind the 6-2 Bucs, got the benefit of matching up with the 1-8 Saints at home. So on Sunday morning, it felt like a Tampa Bay loss to New England very well could mean Carolina closing the gap in the NFC South to just a half-game.

Of course, before the Bucs, Panthers and Saints took the field for their 1:00 p.m. kickoffs, their other divisional foe was on the field in Germany against the Colts. Atlanta got itself a late lead in the fourth quarter, but the defense couldn’t hold on and allowed Indy to get a field goal to force overtime.

And in overtime, the Colts got a stop and then Daniel Jones, Tyler Warren and Jonathan Taylor did the rest, with Taylor scoring the game-winning 8-yard touchdown to send the Falcons to their fourth straight loss and a 3-6 record.

Back stateside, the rest of the NFC South kicked off in the 1:00 p.m. window. And things didn’t go as planned for Todd Bowles and Co. in Tampa. The Patriots scored touchdowns on the final play of both the first and second quarters to take a 14-10 lead into halftime. And that second-quarter touchdown allowed for New England to have a chance at doubling up when it got the ball after that. With TreVeyon Henderson’s 55-yard touchdown run, that’s exactly what happened.

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. and Patriots RB TreVeyon Henderson – Photo by: USA Today

That left the Bucs chasing for the rest of the afternoon, and despite having plenty of chances to complete a comeback, the heroics never came. Instead, Tampa Bay dropped to 1-3 following bye weeks under Todd Bowles and dropped to 6-3 on the season. The first half of the aforementioned nightmare scenario regarding the Bucs and Panthers came to fruition. The door was open for Carolina.

However, Dave Canales and Co. saw that open door and essentially kicked it shut themselves. Rico Dowdle scored a first-quarter touchdown, but those seven points ended up being the Panthers’ only points of the game. The Saints went on to kick a field goal to get within 7-3, then Tyler Shough threw a 62-yard touchdown pass to Chris Olave and later hit Juwan Johnson for a 30-yard touchdown to put the game away. As unlikely as it felt, the Saints helped the Bucs by taking care of business and beating the Panthers 17-7.

Bryce Young threw an interception and lost a fumble, plus the Panthers had a field goal blocked. So, in the end, it was a blown chance for Carolina, leaving Tampa Bay’s NFC South lead at 1.5 games through 10 weeks.

NFC South Standings Through Week 10

Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 6-3 (2-0 in NFC South)
Carolina Panthers – 5-5 (1-1 in NFC South) — 1.5 games back
Atlanta Falcons – 3-6 (0-2 in NFC South) — 3 games back
New Orleans Saints – 2-8 (1-1 in NFC South) — 4.5 games back

Upcoming Schedule for NFC South Contenders:

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

While the Bucs’ loss to the Patriots didn’t cost them in the NFC South race outside of preventing them from building a 2.5-game lead on the Panthers, their Week 10 defeat did some damage to their standing in the NFC playoff picture.

Bucs head coach Todd Bowles – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The loss dropped them from the No. 2 seed to the No. 4 seed, with the Seahawks jumping up to the No. 1 seed for the time being after beating the Cardinals 44-22 on Sunday afternoon. The Rams improved to 7-2 and remain the top wild card team, which would give them a trip to Tampa to face the Bucs in the first round of the playoffs if the season ended today.

Elsewhere, the Lions bounced back with a win and the Bears won yet again, so they’re both 6-3 and holding onto the last two wild card spots. With their loss to the Rams, the 49ers dropped to 6-4 and are currently on the outside looking in.

Monday night’s game between the Eagles and Packers in Green Bay

NFC Standings Through Week 10 (*** Before Monday Night Football ***)

1. Seattle Seahawks – 7-2 (holds win percentage vs. divisional opponents tiebreaker over Rams)
2. Philadelphia Eagles – 6-2 (plays at Green Bay on Monday night)
3. Green Bay Packers – 5-2-1 (hosts Philadelphia on Monday night)
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 6-3
5. Los Angeles Rams – 7-2
6. Detroit Lions – 6-3 
7. Chicago Bears – 6-3 

———- IN THE HUNT ———-

8. San Francisco 49ers – 6-4
9. Carolina Panthers – 5-5
10. Minnesota Vikings – 4-5