The Atlanta Falcons appear to have weathered the storm from their disastrous 0-2 start, and since they play in the NFL's weakest division, a playoff berth is still very much on the table. In Week 7, the Falcons took down the undefeated San Francisco 49ers to improve to 3-4.
While Atlanta got its first home win of the season, the biggest NFC South story of the day was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers throttling the Carolina Panthers in a 43-13 blowout. Baker Mayfield returned and didn't have to do much with his defense and running game carrying the load.
The New Orleans Saints continued their run of bad luck on Sunday morning, suffering a 16-10 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers in Paris. The Saints had chances to win but made some key blunders down the stretch to fall to 2-5.
Here's a look at the updated NFC South standings going into Week 8.
NFC South standings going into Week 8
- Carolina Panthers (3-3)
- Atlanta Falcons (3-4)
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-5)
- New Orleans Saints (2-5)
The Falcons will hit the road to take on the Buccaneers in Week 8. Mayfield and Falcons head coach Kevin Stefanski have a noted history, and it's sure to be an interesting showdown in Tampa.
The Panthers are off to Green Bay for a Thursday night showdown against the Packers. The Saints have the week off for their bye, so we'll see if they can get things turned around with an extra week of prep.
This article originally appeared on Falcons Wire: NFC South: Falcons bounce back, Panthers fall apart in Week 7