After missing a golden opportunity to make a difference in the NFC South last week, the Bucks desperately needed a win in Week 6 to avoid dropping to .500 overall and 0-2 in division play. . There was supposed to be a nice 10-day break between Weeks 5 and 6, but we ended up having a lot of adversity. With Hurricane Milton heading toward Tampa Bay, the team had to adjust its schedule to arrive in New Orleans earlier in the week. area.
It’s been an unusual week of preparation, but the fact remains that the Bucks need to beat the Saints on Sunday. Otherwise, their hopes of winning a fourth consecutive NFC South championship would have taken a huge hit, even if it was mid-October.
After trailing 27-24 at halftime, Tampa Bay’s offense scored 27 points in the second half and the defense was shutout in the second half. This gave Todd Bowles’ team the win it needed to get back on track, as well as a 1-1 record in divisional play.
So what is the situation? NFC South Race Until Week 6 of the 2024 season? It’s time to tear it all down.
NFC South Update: Week 6
Week 6 featured two NFC South games, the first being in New Orleans with the Bucks taking on the Saints in the 1:00 slot.
The game was one of the wildest in recent memory for Tampa Bay, with a touchdown on the opening drive, a defensive score from Antoine Winfield Jr., and a field goal from Chase McLaughlin to put the team up 17 through the first quarter. It gave an advantage of 0.
But the Saints fought back, scoring 27 points in the second half, highlighted by Rashid Shahid’s punt return touchdown and rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler’s first career passing touchdown. But Sean Tucker’s first career touchdown kept the Bucs in the lead, but the visitors trailed 27-24 at halftime after the first 30 minutes.
The last 30 minutes were all Tampa Bay. The defense finally put pressure on Rattler, intercepting him twice while holding the Saints scoreless. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers offense scored an explosive 55-yard touchdown from Baker Mayfield to Chris Godwin, and the run game led by Tucker and Bucky Irving finished with 277 yards rushing and two scores in New Orleans. By then I was enthusiastic.
The Bucks won in the end, but They dropped 50 burgers to the Saints in a 51-27 victory.. This moved Tampa Bay to 4-2 on the year, while New Orleans, which was 2-0 at one point, fell to 2-4.
In the 4 p.m. slot, the Falcons and Panthers faced off in Carolina. Atlanta fell behind early, but quickly came back to take a 22-10 lead on two touchdowns from Bijan Robinson and a touchdown pass from Kirk Cousins to Drake Rondon.
The Panthers got within 22-17 on a touchdown pass from Andy Dalton to Xavier Leggett and stayed within 25-20 in the third quarter, but the Falcons then responded with two field goals from Yong-Ho Koo and Tyler Allgaier. His touchdown broke the game. .
Atlanta gained 198 net yards in the win, with Allgaier rushing for 105 yards and a touchdown on 18 carries, and Robinson running for 95 yards on 15 carries and two scores.
NFC South standings updates for Week 6 and beyond:
Atlanta Falcons 4-2 (3-0 in NFC South)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 4-2 (1-1 in NFC South)
New Orleans Saints 2-4 (1-2 in NFC South)
Carolina Panthers 1-5 (0-2 in NFC South)
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) October 13, 2024
The Bucks are out for revenge.
The Bucks and Falcons just met in Atlanta in Week 5, a game the hosts won after a late comeback in overtime, and the teams are scheduled to meet again soon in Tampa.
Todd Bowles & Co. will first play a Monday Night Football contest against the 4-2 Ravens in Week 7, before Raheem Morris’ squad takes on the Seahawks the day before. But in Week 8, Tampa Bay will have a chance for revenge.
Tampa Bay will play Atlanta on October 27th in what will be the team’s creamsicle game. The team desperately needs to beat the Falcons in the rematch, as losing that game and being swept in the season series would be a significant disadvantage in their quest to win the NFC South again.
Tampa Bay and Atlanta have split their season series in Bowles’ first two seasons and are hoping to split again. The divisional race looks set to be close for the third year in a row, with both head-to-head competition and divisional records likely to be important.
First, the Buccaneers are focused on the Ravens, hoping to get a big win on Monday night to improve to 5-2. However, a rematch with the Falcons will take place immediately after that game becomes the final.