It may have only been Week 8, but the Bucs came into Sunday knowing their matchup against the Falcons would be one of their biggest of the season – if not the biggest. After all, it had major NFC South implications. In its quest to four-peat as division champions, Tampa Bay really needed a win in its annual creamsicle game.

The Falcons came in looking to sweep the Bucs, improve to 4-0 in divisional play and take control of the race through eight weeks. For Tampa Bay, a split and improving to 2-1 inside the division while dropping Atlanta to 3-1 would keep things alive in the tiebreaker – something that came in handy in both 2022 and 2023.

But head coach Todd Bowles’ team couldn’t get it done.

It was tight early on at 7-7, but the Falcons went on a 24-10 run between the second and third quarters and a last-ditch comeback attempt fell short as the Bucs lost 31-26 and dropped back-to-back games to fall to 4-4.

So, where do things stand in the NFC South race through Week 8 of the 2024 season? It’s time to break it all down.

NFC South Update: Week 8

Falcons QB Kirk Cousins – Photo by: USA Today

The highlight of the NFC South slate in Week 8 was clearly the rematch between the Bucs and Falcons at Raymond James Stadium. After collapsing late and losing 36-30 in overtime back in Week 5 at Atlanta, Tampa Bay needed to win Sunday in its creamsicle game to even the season series and take over the top spot in the division for the time being. But it was always going to be tough, both because of its struggles with the Atlanta offense and the fact that Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were both sidelined.

Even without Evans and Godwin, the Bucs’ offense got going early, getting them out to a 14-7 lead at one point. But the Falcons scored 14 straight and would never relinquish their lead from there. They took a 24-17 lead into halftime and went up 31-17 in the third quarter before a late 9-0 run in the fourth saw Tampa Bay fall short in a 31-26 final.

For the victors, Kirk Cousins was dominant once again. He completed 23 of his 29 passes for 276 yards and four touchdowns, giving him 785 yards and eight touchdowns in two games against Todd Bowles and the Bucs this season. Darnell Mooney was his leading receiver on the day, catching five of his seven targets for 92 yards and a touchdown. But it was Kyle Pitts right behind him, as the tight end caught four of his five targets for 91 yards and two touchdowns.

Bucs QB Baker Mayfield and TE Cade Otton – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

Three turnovers didn’t help the Bucs either, but the defense was largely at fault on Sunday given its inability to handle Cousins and the Atlanta offense. Baker Mayfield threw for 330 passing yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions on 37-of-50 passing, with Cade Otton coming up huge in the absence of Evans and Godwin. The third-year tight end followed up his first career 100-yard game in Week 7 with another big day in Week 8 as he caught a career-high nine of 10 targets for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

The freefall continued for the Saints in Week 8 as they lost their sixth straight game after starting 2-0. This time, it was a 26-8 road loss to the Chargers in which they failed to score an offensive touchdown. New Orleans took a 2-0 lead on a safety, but once it fell behind 3-2, they never led again. Dennis Allen’s team was within 16-8 going into the fourth quarter, but the Chargers scored 10 straight to finish the game.

The Saints benched Spencer Rattler after he started 12-of-24 for 156 yards. Jake Haener didn’t fare any better, going 9-of-17 for 122 yards. New Orleans went just 2-of-16 on third downs in the loss.

With quarterback Bryce Young back under center, the Panthers started fast and took a 7-0 lead early in Denver. But the Broncos scored the next 28 points and went on to win 28-14, dropping Carolina to 1-7. Young went 24-of-37 for 224 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions while the Panther defense allowed Denver to go 11-of-17 on third downs and saw rookie quarterback Bo Nix throw for 284 yards and three touchdowns on 28-of-37 passing.

Updated NFC South Standings After Week 8:

Atlanta Falcons 5-3 (4-0 in the NFC South)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-4 (1-2 in the NFC South)
New Orleans Saints 2-6 (1-2 in the NFC South)
Carolina Panthers 1-7 (0-2 in the NFC South)

Bucs Hurt More Than Just Their NFC South Title Hopes In Week 8

Bucs HC Todd Bowles and Falcons HC Raheem Morris – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The loss to the Falcons in Week 8 certainly hurt the Bucs’ chances of four-peating as NFC South champions. The best that Tampa Bay can finish in divisional play at this point is 4-2, and the worst that Atlanta can finish inside the division is 4-2. Given the head-t0-head sweep, Raheem Morris’ team has already captured the all-important tiebreaker in the NFC South race only eight weeks into the season.

Because of that, the 4-4 Bucs will have to go on quite the run over their final nine games and finish the regular season with a better win-loss record than the 5-3 Falcons. Here are both teams’ remaining schedules:

Tampa Bay: at KC (7-0), vs. SF (3-4), BYE, at NYG (2-5), at CAR (1-7), vs. LV (2-6), at LAC (4-3), at DAL (3-3), vs. CAR (1-6), vs. NO (2-6)
Atlanta: vs. DAL (3-3), at NO (2-6), at DEN (5-3), BYE, vs. LAC (4-3), at MIN (5-2), at LV (2-6), vs. NYG (2-5), at WSH (6-2), vs. CAR (1-7)

The point is, the Bucs now have very little margin for error the rest of the way. And this team is clearly imperfect, meaning it’s bound to have some slip-ups here and there even down the stretch when the schedule gets lighter. It’s not impossible for Tampa Bay to finish with a better record than Atlanta and make the tiebreaker meaningless. It’s just that it’s a tough hill to climb.

Bucs ILB Lavonte David and Eagles QB Jalen Hurts – Photo by: USA Today

Beyond their NFC South chances, the Bucs also hurt their chances of making it to the playoffs for the fifth straight season. With the strength of the NFC North, the way both Philadelphia and Washington are playing in the NFC East (with the outside possibility that Dallas eventually gets it together, too) and the crowd of competitors in the NFC West, Tampa Bay also has very little room for error as far as the NFC Wild Card race goes.

Right now, it’s a crowded picture. It’ll sort itself out over the next several weeks, but the Bucs will have a lot of competition to deal with for one of those final playoff spots if they can’t overcome the odds and beat out the Falcons in the NFC South. They were on the outside looking in at the start of Week 8, and their loss will only knock them down some more.

There’s a long way to go, but if Tampa Bay fails to four-peat as division champions and sees its playoff streak end as a result of falling short in the Wild Card race, you have to wonder what that’ll mean for Todd Bowles’ future.