One Sunday into the season, the NFC South already looks like it’s carrying last year’s baggage.
All four teams opened with losses, and the standings told the story in the bluntest possible way: an 0-4 division after Week 1. For a group that has been labeled the NFL’s weakest division for several years now, it was the kind of start that makes people wonder whether anything has really changed.
Tampa Bay entered the year as the betting favorite to win the NFC South for the fifth time in six seasons, but the opener went sideways fast. Baker Mayfield had three fumbles among the Bucs’ four turnovers, and those mistakes turned into 24 points for the Bengals. Even so, Tampa Bay hung around before falling 33-27 and starting 0-1 for the first time since 2020.
There were bright spots buried in that loss. Emeka Egbuka made his presence felt, Bucky Irving ran the ball well, and the secondary did enough to keep Ja’Marr Chase in check.
Chase McLaughlin stayed reliable, and Josiah Trotter made a splash in his NFL debut with a sack and a pick-six. The pass rush didn’t show up the way Tampa Bay needed it to, but the Bucs still left Cincinnati with a one-score road loss against a good team.
Carolina had its own wild ride before things unraveled. The Panthers and Bears were tied 31-31 in the third quarter, and Carolina briefly looked like it might have the kind of offense that could salvage a division-wide mess. Bryce Young threw for 361 yards and three touchdowns and added another score on the ground, but Chicago pulled away from there and won 59-37.
New Orleans came the closest to preventing the NFC South from going winless. Tyler Shough got the Saints into a deep early hole with two interceptions and a fumble, and the Lions built a 21-0 lead.
But Shough steadied himself, helped drive the comeback, and forced overtime. The Saints even answered after Detroit scored first in the extra period, only for a failed two-point try to end it in a 31-30 loss.
Shough finished with three touchdown passes and, late in the game, looked exceptionally poised.
Atlanta also had to battle through a messy setup at quarterback before the game even kicked off. With both Michael Penix Jr. and Tua Tagovailoa out, Kevin Stefanski’s first game as Atlanta’s head coach featured Cooper Rush under center, even though Rush had been dealing with back spasms himself the day before.
Bijan Robinson did plenty, finishing with 173 total yards and a touchdown, but the Falcons went just 2 of 12 on third down and Rush was intercepted twice in a 20-13 loss to the Steelers. Outside of a T.J.
Watt pick-six off Rush, Atlanta’s defense held up well enough to keep the game within reach.
So no, Week 1 didn’t exactly rescue the NFC South’s reputation. If anything, it reinforced the league’s running joke about the division.
But there was enough mixed into each loss to leave room for hope, at least on the inside of those locker rooms. Tampa Bay had fight.
Carolina had production. New Orleans nearly pulled off the comeback.
Atlanta stayed competitive despite a rough quarterback situation.
That’s the strange thing about this division: even when it starts 0-4, nobody seems completely out of it.
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