Week 8 NFC South Report

New Orleans Saints (6-1 overall, 1-0 division)

• Last week: 36-25 win over the Chicago Bears
• This week: 12:00 pm/cst on Sunday vs Arizona Cardinals (3-3-1)
• Notes: Teddy Bridgewater improved to 5-0 as a starter as the Saints dominated the Bears on Sunday. The score makes the game look much closer than it was. New Orleans was without Drew Brees, Alvin Kamara, Tre’Quan Smith, and Jared Cook. With just one more game before the bye week, it would be no surprise to see each of them stay on the sidelines for some extra rest and recovery. There were also a few injuries on defense and special teams, as Eli Apple (knee), Patrick Robinson (hamstring), and JT Gray (ankle), all exited Sunday’s game. The first injury report comes out tomorrow, so keep an eye out to see who does/doesn’t practice going forward.

Atlanta Falcons (1-6 overall, 0-0 division)

• Last week: 37-10 loss to the Los Angeles Rams
• This week: 12:00 pm/cst on Sunday vs Seattle Seahawks (5-2)
• Notes: It was another debacle for the Falcons, as their disastrous season continues. Head Coach Dan Quinn is very much on the hot seat and it appears to be a waiting game for if/when he is fired. The team traded wide receiver Mohamed Sanu to the New England Patriots for a 2nd round pick this morning, as they begin to look to the future.

Carolina Panthers (4-2 overall, 1-1 division)

• Last week: Bye
• This week: 3:05 pm/cst on Sunday vs San Francisco 49ers (6-0)
• Notes: Like Teddy Bridgewater, Kyle Allen is undefeated (4-0) as a starter while filling in for Cam Newton. When Newton may return is still an unknown.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-4 overall, 1-2 division)

• Last week: Bye
• This week: 12:00 pm/cst on Sunday vs Tennessee Titans (3-4)
• Notes: The bye week could not have come at a better time for Tampa Bay, who was reeling after a six turnover performance from Jameis Winston in London against Carolina. Winston drew criticism from Head Coach Bruce Arians, who talked about the quarterback’s bad habit of trying to force plays after he threw five interceptions.

NFC South Standings

1. New Orleans (6-1)
2. Carolina (4-2)
3. Tampa Bay (2-4)
4. Atlanta (1-6)