The Tampa Bay Buccaneers missed a big opportunity on Sunday.
Going into Week 12, the Bucs needed the Falcons to beat the Saints to draw both teams to 5-6, and a win from Tampa Bay would have even up the odds in a three-way tie for the division lead. The Falcons did beat the Saints, but the Bucs did not beat the Indianapolis Colts, so they remain in third while the other two teams are tied. The Carolina Panthers lost their 10th game on Sunday and remain terrible.
Here’s what the NFC South looks like after each team played in Week 12:
| Team | W | L | T | Win% | PF | PA | Home | Away | Strk |
| Atlanta Falcons | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | 213 | 232 | 4-2 | 1-4 | W1 |
| New Orleans Saints | 5 | 6 | 0 | .455 | 229 | 222 | 2-2 | 3-4 | L2 |
| Tampa Bay Buccaneers | 4 | 7 | 0 | .364 | 212 | 227 | 2-3 | 2-4 | L2 |
| Carolina Panthers | 1 | 10 | 0 | .091 | 173 | 292 | 1-4 | 0-6 | L4 |
And here is how those games all went: