The New Orleans Saints slow start was helped out a ton by the fact that the rest of the NFC South has been just as much of a jumbled mess. After losses by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers in Week 8, the Saints stand just one game behind first place. Should the Saints end next week with the same record with the Atlanta Falcons, they hold the head-to-head tiebreaker. They also have the best point differential in the division, with -1. Here’s how the full standings shake out in the NFC South after a great Week 8 for the New Orleans Saints.
1
Atlanta Falcons (4-4)
- Last game: 37-34 win over Carolina Panthers (2-6)
- Next game: vs. Los Angeles Chargers (4-3)
- Quarterback: Marcus Mariota went 20-of-28 for 253 passing yards with three touchdown passes and two interceptions in Week 8. He was sacked twice for a loss of 14 yards. He did use his legs for 43 yards on six rushes.
- Points differential: -5
- Turnovers differential: +2
- Penalties against: 37 fouls for 295 yards
2
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (3-5)
- Last game: 27-22 loss to Baltimore Ravens (5-3)
- Next game: vs. Los Angeles Rams (3-3)
- Quarterback: Tom Brady went 26-of-44 for 325 passing yards and a touchdown pass with three sacks (lost 20 yards) in Week 8.
- Points differential: -5
- Turnovers differential: +2
- Penalties against: 44 fouls for 358 yards
3
New Orleans Saints (3-5)
- Last game: 24-0 win over Las Vegas Raiders (2-5)
- Next game: vs. Baltimore Ravens (5-3)
- Quarterback: Andy Dalton went 22-of-30 for 229 passing yards and two touchdown passes in Week 8.
- Points differential: -1
- Turnovers differential: -10
- Penalties against: 57 fouls for 486 yards
4
Carolina Panthers (2-6)
- Last game: 37-34 loss to Atlanta Falcons (4-4)
- Next game: at Cincinnati Bengals (4-3)
- Quarterback: P.J. Walker went 19-of-36 for 317 passing yards with a touchdown pass and an interception in Week 8. He was sacked once for a loss of eight yards
- Points differential: -28
- Turnovers differential: -2
- Penalties against: 43 fouls for 402 yards
