Saints lose their lead on the NFC South after uneven 3-week start
Well, that’s not ideal. After jumping out to an early lead in the race for a division crown, the New Orleans Saints are now barely ahead of the lowly 1-2 Carolina Panthers, by virtue of a win over a divisional opponent. Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are on top of the NFC South through three weeks, having earned a 2-1 record.
That’s painful, but it’s to be expected when the Saints play as poorly as they have. They’ve lost games on the road (to the 2-1 Las Vegas Raiders) and at home (to the 3-0 Green Bay Packers, who appear well-positioned for the No. 1 playoff seed in the NFC).
At least they aren’t the 0-3 Atlanta Falcons, who have blown double-digit leads in the fourth quarter twice in as many weeks. They’re firmly in the NFC South’s basement.
Sure, the Saints can turn it around. They could start winning games again as soon as next week, when they visit the 1-2 Detroit Lions at Ford Field (before a return back to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome, when the 1-2 Los Angeles Chargers visit in Week 5). It’s very possible the Saints go into their bye week at a respectable 3-2, coming out of the break ready to get hot in October. That could go a long way towards earning their fourth consecutive division title.
We’ll see what happens. Just to drive the point home, here are how the NFC South teams stack up after Week 3’s games:
2-1 Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-1 in NFC South)
1-2 New Orleans Saints (1-0 in NFC South)
1-2 Carolina Panthers (0-1 in NFC South)
0-3 Atlanta Falcons (0-0 in NFC South)
