Buccaneers' NFC South lead narrows after loss to Eagles

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers still have the lead, but another NFC South team is catching up.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers outside linebacker Lavonte David (54) speaks with head coach Todd Bowles during the second quarter. | Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers still hold the lead in the NFC South, but that lead narrowed just a bit on Sunday.

The Bucs fought valiantly, but they ended up coming up short against the Philadelphia Eagles in a 31-25 loss. That dropped the Bucs to 3-1 on the season, but despite that, they still hold the lead in the NFC South — it just isn't quite as comfortable as it would have been with a win, obviously.

Here's what the NFC South looks like after Week 4:

Falcons gain ground on Buccaneers in NFC South

Team	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA	Home	Away	Streak
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	3	1	0	.750	97	97	1-1	2-0	L1
Atlanta Falcons	2	2	0	.500	76	86	1-1	1-1	W1
Carolina Panthers	1	3	0	.250	75	95	1-0	0-3	L1
New Orleans Saints	0	4	0	.000	66	121	0-2	0-2	L4

The Bucs drop to 3-1 on the year after their loss to the Eagles.

The Atlanta Falcons won a key game against the Washington Commanders, beating them at home 34-27. The Commanders didn't have Jayden Daniels, but it was still a big win, anyway, as it brings them to 2-2. They're still one game back from the Bucs, but it should be noted that the Bucs have the tiebreaker at the moment, so a tie in record would still belong to Tampa Bay.

The Carolina Panthers may have beaten the Falcons 30-0 in Week 3, but they got blown out in turn by the New England Patriots in Week 4, losing 42-13. They are now two games back from the Bucs and one back from the Falcons, and they don't play Tampa Bay for the first time until Week 16.

The New Orleans Saints remain one of the worst teams in football. They were blown out by the Buffalo Bills 31-19 in Buffalo, and as a result, fall to 0-4 — with no wins at this point in the year, their NFC South hopes are almost entirely dead. The Bucs will play them in Week 8, right before their bye week.

The Bucs will face the Seattle Seahawks on the road this Sunday. The Falcons will square off against the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, while the Panthers will play the Miami Dolphins at home and the Saints will host the New York Giants in Louisiana.

READ MORE: Buccaneers or Eagles? What experts are saying about the Week 4 clash

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