Buccaneers take early command of NFC South in Week 1

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn't just win their game against the Atlanta Falcons — they got some help, too.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver Mike Evans (13) celebrates with wide receiver Emeka Egbuka (2) after a touchdown against the Atlanta Falcons | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers always want to win, of course, but division wins are even sweeter. The Bucs got a taste of that on Sunday when they defeated the Atlanta Falcons 23-20 to get their first win of the season, continuing Todd Bowles' streak of never losing in Week 1 as head coach of the Buccaneers.

Obviously, this win has NFC South ramifications in addition to looking nice on the calendar — the Bucs not only got the dub, but everything else in their division played out just the way they wanted it to, too.

The Buccaneers are outright leaders of the NFC South

Atlanta Falcons place kicker Younghoe Koo (6) reacts after missing a field goal against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. | Brett Davis-Imagn Images

The Buccaneers would have been ahead in the NFC South no matter what after a win on Sunday, as they officially have the head-to-head over another NFC South team and the Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints didn't play each other. However, the Bucs got another boon — the Panthers and the Saints also lost, with the Panthers dropping their first game to the Jaguars 24-10 and the Saints losing at home to the Arizona Cardinals 20-13.

As a result, the Buccaneers have a one-game lead over every team in the NFC South. Here's what the current standings look like after Week 1:

Team	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA	Home	Away	Streak
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	1	0	0	1.000	23	20	0-0	1-0	W1
Carolina Panthers	0	1	0	.000	10	26	0-0	0-1	L1
New Orleans Saints	0	1	0	.000	13	20	0-1	0-0	L1
Atlanta Falcons	0	1	0	.000	20	26	0-1	0-0	L1

It's good that Tampa Bay got out ahead early with this win, because it doesn't play another NFC South game until the Bucs face off against the Saints for the first time in Week 8. If the Bucs keep winning enough games before then, they should be able to build nicely for the back half of the season, where they play four NFC South games in five weeks to end the year.

Getting out ahead of the Falcons could also end up being big for the Buccaneers because of how brutal Atlanta's schedule is for the next few games. The Falcons must play the Vikings, Panthers, Commanders, Bills and 49ers for their next five games, and if the Bucs can take care of their business, the Falcons would be hard-pressed to keep up,

The Buccaneers will have their next chance to extend the lead on the road again against the Houston Texans on Monday Night Football in Week 2.

READ MORE: Former Buccaneers All-Pro explains why Bucs are biggest threat to Eagles

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