Look around NFC South: Bucs have stranglehold on division

For the first time in 5 years, it is clear we will have a new NFC South champion by years end. The New Orleans Saints had won the division 4 years in a row, but they are now currently on a 5-game losing streak for the first time during the regular season in Sean Payton’s tenure. We broke down the latest game between the Saints and Cowboys last Thursday night so check out our other articles on the site for a full breakdown of that game. The Saints will look to end their 5-game losing streak when they travel to New York and take on the Jets. Here is a look on how the rest of the NFC South fared this past weekend.

Buccaneers 30 Falcons 17

Another game, another masterpiece performance by Tom Brady. These words seem almost as synonymous with each other as peanut butter and jelly. They just go together. Brady in this one threw for 368 yards and 4 touchdowns as Tampa scored on its opening possession and never looked back. Two of those touchdown tosses went to his favorite weapon in his career, Rob Gronkowski. Those 2 hookups make for 90 touchdowns from Brady to Gronk, making that connection the second most in NFL history only behind Peyton Manning to Marvin Harrison at 112. More importantly, the win moved Tampa to 9-3 on the season and opens up a four-game division lead with 5 games left to play. It also swept the season series against the Falcons who battled tough for a half, but offensively couldn't keep up with the Bucs offense. Matt Ryan threw for 297 yards but didn’t throw a touchdown as Atlanta’s only offensive touchdown came on a Mike Davis run in the first quarter. The Falcons just managed a field goal on offense the rest of the way. Their other touchdown score came on a Pick 6 off Tom Brady right before halftime that drew the Falcons within 3 points before intermission. The Falcons would get no closer, however. The loss drops the Falcons to 5-7, which is the same record the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers hold. The Panthers will host the Falcons this upcoming weekend after having their bye week last week, while the Bucs will face the Bills at home on Sunday.

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