Todd Bowles couldn’t resist a laugh after the Buccaneers dropped their game to the Minnesota Vikings.
“Funny thing, we’re 0-3 and a game out of first place,” Bowles said.
That line fit the NFC South perfectly. Once again, the division is a running joke around the league, and once again it’s somehow impossible to ignore.
Through three weeks, all four teams are under .500. The Carolina Panthers are 1-2 after winning the division last year at 8-9, and Monday’s Saints-Falcons matchup could easily wind up with first place on the line depending on how Carolina does against the Detroit Lions on Sunday night.
That also means back-to-back primetime games for what is, statistically, the NFL’s worst division. The Falcons are in the middle of a three-week primetime stretch, too.
And yet this year’s version has a different feel. Messy?
Absolutely. But boring?
Not really.
“I know what the records say for each and every team right now,” Saints center Erik McCoy said. “But the last few years have come down to the wire, have come down to the last game of the season.”
That’s the odd appeal here. The NFC South can be bad and still be compelling, almost in a train-wreck way.
The division has already produced plenty of material for the internet, including an offseason meme that made the rounds on X and Reddit: the Buccaneers, Panthers, Saints and Falcons all staring at one another with the same thought bubble - “Wow. This division sucks.
Thank God I’m the only good team here.”
It was a joke, but it landed because each team spent the offseason acting like it had a real shot. New Orleans loaded up on weapons around quarterback Tyler Shough.
Carolina spent big on defense. Tampa Bay drew praise for its draft.
Atlanta changed coaching staffs and brought in two-time Coach of the Year Kevin Stefanski.
Those moves have given the division more juice early. The Saints’ offense has flashed at times behind Shough and Chris Olave.
The Panthers, surprisingly, have gotten productive play from Bryce Young, who now has a trio of receivers and ranks second in passing yards. The Buccaneers have had a rougher public vibe, but backup quarterback Jalon Daniels could provide some relief while Baker Mayfield is sidelined for three weeks with a thumb injury.
Atlanta may be the hardest team to figure out. The Falcons looked lifeless through their first two games, then Michael Penix returned and they blew out the Green Bay Packers. Bijan Robinson ran for 194 yards, and Drake London matched that with 194 receiving yards.
“What impresses you is the win (over the Packers),” Saints defensive end Cam Jordan said, while pointing out the production from Atlanta’s top weapons. “I hate that they’re coming off a win. I would like them to be 0-3, sort of depressed in the locker room.
“And no. They’re like ‘Oh, we’re (1-2)’ and it’s because of Michael Penix.
It’s because of Bijan. It’s because of Drake London.
And oh, by the way, you’ve still got Kyle Pitts - who’s a top 5 tight end when he gets active. His yards don’t show how talented he is, so we still have to worry about that (expletive) waking up.”
Whether all that talent actually turns into wins is still the big question. But at minimum, it makes the division easier to watch, and that’s a step up from what the NFC South has offered for much of the past few seasons.
The slide really started after the top quarterbacks left. Since Drew Brees retired in 2021, the division has gone 151-201, a .429 winning percentage that trails only the AFC South.
Since 2022, after Matt Ryan’s departure, that number dropped to .412. Since 2023, after Tom Brady left, it has slipped to .407.
If this division really is on the rise, the quarterbacks are a big reason. Shough is in Year 2.
Penix is in Year 3. Young is in Year 4 and may be playing his way toward a long-term deal in Carolina.
Mayfield has been uneven over the last year, but he has still given Tampa Bay stability in the post-Brady era.
In Other News...
Alvin Kamara Now Faces The Saints Question Fans Can't Ignore
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Sean Paytons reflections on coaching Kamara only add to the intrigue, especially his note that Kamara could coast through practice at times and the way the two talked about his career path. Kamaras early season has been mixed, which leaves the Saints weighing the same question fans keep circling: how much of his next stretch will look like the player they remember, and how much will reflect the gradual decline they have already started to see? [Read more 🡒]
Kool-Aid McKinstry Faces A Huge Saints Test Against Atlanta
Kool-Aid McKinstry is heading into one of the more important matchups of his young season with the Saints set to face Atlanta. The rookie cornerback has shown steady improvement and has earned praise from defensive coordinator Brandon Staley, a sign that his role and responsibility have grown as the year has gone on. Now the next test comes against a Falcons offense that just turned in a strong performance, with Drake London likely to be at the center of the attention.
For New Orleans, the appeal of this matchup is easy to see: McKinstry has been trending up, and the Saints need that progress to hold against a receiver who can change how a game is played. Even with the challenges that come with facing Atlanta, McKinstry has stayed confident, and this is the kind of assignment that can say plenty about where he stands right now. [Read more 🡒]
Saints Enter Week 4 With A Kyle Pitts Problem They Can't Ignore
New Orleans has already spent the first three weeks dealing with a defense that has had a hard time matching up with tight ends, and that problem looms again with Atlanta on deck. Injuries and depth concerns at linebacker have made it harder for the Saints to play the kind of assignment-sound football that usually keeps athletic mismatches from turning into drive-changing plays, and Brandon Staley is staring at another test in a division game that could demand more creativity than comfort.
Kyle Pitts has not piled up much production yet, but the Saints cannot afford to treat him like a quiet part of the Falcons offense. His size and movement skills still force defenses to account for him, and with Atlantas offense looking more efficient, the possibility of a bigger role feels real. For New Orleans, the challenge is less about what Pitts has done so far and more about whether the Saints can find a coverage answer before he becomes the kind of problem that changes the game. [Read more 🡒]