Where the race stands after week 8

It may have only been Week 8, but the Bucs knew heading into Sunday that their matchup against the Falcons would be one of their biggest of the season – if not The largest. Ultimately, it had a significant impact on the NFC South. To finish fourth as division champions, Tampa Bay desperately needed a win in its annual Creamsicle game.

The Falcons wanted to beat the Bucs, improve to 4-0 in division play and take control of the race for eight weeks. For Tampa Bay, a split and improvement to 2-1 within the division while Atlanta drops to 3-1 would keep things alive in the tiebreaker – something that would come in handy in both 2022 and 2023.

But head coach Todd Bowles' team couldn't make it.

It was close at 7-7 at the start, but the Falcons went on a 24-10 run between the second and third quarters and a last-ditch attempt at a comeback failed the Bucs lost 31-26 and dropped two consecutive games, leaving the score at 4-4.

So where are things 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 a late collapse and a 36-30 overtime loss in Week 5 at Atlanta, Tampa Bay needed to win its Creamsicle game on Sunday to even the season series and take the top spot in the division for the time being. But it was always going to be difficult, both because of Atlanta's offensive issues and the fact that Mike Evans and Chris Godwin were both sidelined.

Even without Evans and Godwin, the Bucs' offense got going early and gave them a 14-7 lead at one point. But the Falcons scored 14 straight goals and would never relinquish their lead from then on. They took a 24-17 lead at halftime and went up 31-17 in the third quarter before a late 9-0 run in the fourth quarter led to Tampa Bay falling 31-26 in the final.

Kirk Cousins ​​once again dominated the winners. 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 best 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 to blame Sunday as it couldn't 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 big in the absence of Evans and Godwin. The third-year tight end followed his first career 100-yard game in Week 7 with another big day in Week 8, when he caught nine of 10 targets for 81 yards and two touchdowns, the most of his career.

The free fall for the Saints continued in Week 8 as they lost their sixth straight game after a 2-0 start. 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 when they fell behind 3-2, they never led again. Dennis Allen's team was down 16-8 early in the fourth quarter, but the Chargers scored 10 straight points to put the game away.

The Saints benched Spencer Rattler after he finished 12 of 24 for 156 yards. Jake Haener fared no better, going 9 of 17 for 122 yards. New Orleans managed just 2 of 16 points on third down in the loss.

With quarterback Bryce Young back under center, the Panthers started quickly and took an early 7-0 lead in Denver. But the Broncos scored the next 28 points and won 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 rookie quarterback Bo Nix threw for 28 of 284 yards and three touchdowns. 37 over.

Updated NFC South rankings 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 NFC South)
Carolina Panthers 1-7 (0-2 in NFC South)

The Bucs did more than hurt 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 qualifying as four-goal NFC South champions. The best Tampa Bay can do in division play at this point is 4-2, and the worst Atlanta can do in division play is 4-2. Given the direct duel, Raheem Morris' team has secured the decisive tiebreaker in the NFC South race just eight weeks after the start of the season.

Because of this, the 4-4 Bucs will have to perform quite well in 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 have very little room for error down the stretch. And this team is clearly imperfect, meaning there are sure to be some blips here and there even as the schedule tightens. It's not impossible for Tampa Bay to finish with a better record than Atlanta and make the tiebreaker meaningless. It's just difficult to climb the hill.

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

Aside from their NFC South chances, the Bucs have also hurt their chances of making the playoffs for the fifth straight season. With the strength of the NFC North, the way Philadelphia and Washington play in the NFC East (with the possibility of Dallas getting together at some point as well), and the amount of contenders in the NFC West, Tampa Bay also has very little to offer As far as the NFC wild card race is concerned, there is room for error.

At the moment, it's a crowded picture. That will sort itself out in the next few weeks, but the Bucs will face stiff competition for one of those final playoff spots if they fail to defeat the Falcons in the NFC South. They were on the outside looking in at the start of Week 8, and their loss will only devastate them further.

There's still a long way to go, but if Tampa Bay fails to finish fourth as division champions And With his playoff streak ending due to a loss in the Wild Card race, one has to wonder what that will mean for Todd Bowles' future.