The NFC South After Week 3: It's Not Over

The NFC South is one confusing mess this year.

The Atlanta Falcons currently sit atop the division with a 2-1 record. The Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers both come in at 1-2, with the New Orleans Saints in last place, winless at 0-3. So what happened in Week 3 to get us here?

In a huge upset in Week 3, the Los Angeles Rams, who seemingly couldn't get a lick of offense through the first two games of the season, were able to put up 37 points against the Bucs and win 37-32. In an even bigger upset, the Carolina Panthers lost to the Adrian Peterson-less Minnesota Vikings, 22-10.

Then came Monday Night Football. The Saints entered the weekend 2.5-3 points favorites in the game, but this was before the announcement of both WR Willie Snead and S Kenny Vaccaro missing the game due to injury. The Saints were trounced at home 43-32, with the Saints defense unable to make key stops, and the Saints offense making costly mistakes.

In Week 4, the New Orleans Saints play a winnable game against the San Diego Chargers, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers host the best defense in the league in the Denver Broncos, and the rival Panthers and Falcons duke it out in Atlanta. In an ideal world, the standings next week have the Panthers and Falcons tied at 2-2 with the Bucs and Saints right behind them at 1-3 each.

This very well might be another year where the NFC South champions around a .500 team.