The Atlanta Falcons are still alive in the NFC South. Yes, you read that correctly. Sunday’s win over the New Orleans Saints gave the Falcons new life, however, it’s more about what happened with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers than anything else.
On Sunday, the Buccaneers lost their third game in a row, and starting quarterback Baker Mayfield sprained his shoulder. Mayfield will undergo further testing this week on his shoulder on Monday, but he was having an MVP-caliber season before going down against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 12.
Tampa Bay has dropped to 6-5, and still must play Atlanta one more time this season. As for the Carolina Panthers, they still have to face off against the San Francisco 49ers on Monday Night Football to close out Week 12. Then, the Panthers host the Rams in Week 13.
Check out the updated NFC South standings after Week 12 below (we’ll update them after the Panthers play their game).
NFC South standings after Week 12
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-5)
- Carolina Panthers (6-5)*
- Atlanta Falcons (4-7)
- New Orleans Saints (2-9)
The Falcons will face the New York Jets on the road in Week 13. The Buccaneers are back home to host the Arizona Cardinals. And as we just mentioned, the Panthers will host the Los Angeles Rams.
If Atlanta takes care of business next weekend, and both the Bucs and Panthers lose, things would start to get interesting in this division.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: NFC South: Baker Mayfield injury, Falcons in playoff hunt?
