Buccaneers in serious danger in NFC South after brutal Saints loss

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers could lose the NFC South to the hands of the Carolina Panthers.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach and defensive coordinator Todd Bowles walks off the field during halftime against the Los Angeles Rams | Kiyoshi Mio-Imagn Images

How things can change.

Five weeks ago, the Buccaneers were on bye with a 6-2 record atop the NFC South and seemingly with no challengers in sight. Now, the Bucs are 7-6, having won just twice in their last seven games, and they find themselves neck-and-neck with the Carolina Panthers, a division rival who shares the same record.

With a just a few games remaining, both teams will play each other twice — here's what the NFC South currently looks like after Week 14:

Buccaneers could lose NFC South soon if they don't get better fast

Team	W	L	T	Pct.	PF	PA	Home	Away	Strk
Tampa Bay Buccaneers	7	6	0	.538	299	325	3-3	4-3	L1
Carolina Panthers	7	6	0	.538	247	297	4-2	3-4	W1
Atlanta Falcons	4	9	0	.308	252	313	2-4	2-5	L2
New Orleans Saints	3	10	0	.231	206	315	1-5	2-5	W1

The Buccaneers dropped a game they definitely should have won to the New Orleans Saints, 24-20, dropping them down to 7-6 — the same record held by the Carolina Panthers, who had their bye week in Week 14. The Atlanta Falcons had the unfortunate luck to run into the Seattle Seahawks, getting blown out by them 37-9.

Now, the NFC South is in jeopardy for the Bucs. They have to win their upcoming Thursday Night Football game against the Atlanta Falcons — if they don't, and the Panthers beat the Saints that following Sunday, the Panthers can win the division outright and essentially knock the Bucs out of the playoffs in Week 16 at home. Likewise, should the Bucs beat the Falcons and the Saints beat the Panthers, the Buccaneers can clinch the playoffs themselves.

The Bucs have their crucial game against the Falcons on Thursday at 8:15 p.m., while the Panthers will play the Saints in New Orleans at 4:25 p.m. The Buccaneers also play the Panthers in Week 18, too, so these next few games could detirmine the trajectory of the NFC South — and it might just come all the way down to the wire during the last week of the regular season.

READ MORE: Buccaneers' star rookie wideout comments on new USF coach Brian Hartline

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