If we didn't know the NFC South was the worst division in football, we likely do now. The Carolina Panthers and the New Orleans Saints still have a shot at winning the division and even if they win out, each team could only finish 8-9 at best. It isn't unheard of to make the playoffs with a losing record, but it just doesn't look great for a top-four seed to have a worse record than their first-round opponent.
The Saints pulled off a 17-10 win over the Cleveland Browns in a frigidly cold game. The Panthers also secured a win, but theirs was against the Detroit Lions at home. The Atlanta Falcons were eliminated from playoff contention with their 17-9 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers took on a Kyler Murray-less Arizona Cardinals and came away with a win to close out Christmas Day. The Bucs remain in first place a game up on the Panthers and Saints with two weeks remaining.
Below is a rundown of the NFC South division standings, each team's opponent next week, and their division title odds at DraftKings Sportsbook heading toward Week 17.
NFC South | Record | Wk opp | Week 1 | Week 16 | Week 17 |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
NFC South | Record | Wk opp | Week 1 | Week 16 | Week 17 |
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 7-8 | vs. CAR | -250 | -300 | TBD |
Carolina Panthers | 6-9 | @ TB | +900 | +400 | TBD |
New Orleans Saints | 6-9 | @ PHI | +310 | +1600 | TBD |
Atlanta Falcons | 5-10 | vs. ARI | +3500 | +1600 | OTB |