NFC South Report, 2021 Week 9

The ninth week of the NFL is behind us, and we’ve got a few NFC South updates for you.

The Atlanta Falcons won, and that’s all that really matters, but the Carolina Panthers lost, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were on a bye and, lolz, the New Orleans Saints lost...to us.

We know how badly the Saints lost to the Falcons (just go with it), and there’s not a lot to say about the Bucs not playing, so let’s see how the team in Carolina did.

Carolina Panthers

Quarterback Sam Darnold played despite worries of him being injured, and running back Christian McCaffrey made his return to the Carolina sideline.

The team got stomped by the New England Patriots 24-6, with Darnold throwing three picks and McCaffrey, while amassing 100 total offensive yards, proving to be unable to reach the end zone in his return.

The Panthers are not the team that started 3-0 at the beginning of the season and might face some tough decisions this offseason, primarily regarding whether or not Darnold is the quarterback for them going forward. Offensive coordinator Joe Brady could also get an opportunity elsewhere, though he’s not been able to get much out of Darnold past the team’s hot start.

Will Matt Rhule be on the hot seat? It’s hard to tell. We’ll see how the team progresses in the coming weeks, but for now, they’re in the basement of the NFC South.

New Orleans Saints

The Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints in the Superdome; bears repeating.

That’s the NFC South in Week 9! We’ll see how it all fares in Week 10.

NFC South Standings

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: 6-2

New Orleans Saints: 5-3

Atlanta Falcons: 4-4

Carolina Panthers: 4-5