Tag: NFC South

NFC South rival could steal Baker Mayfield from Bucs

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers want to re-sign Baker Mayfield, but a division rival could make a push to snatch him away

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers hit the jackpot last year when they signed veteran quarterback Baker Mayfield to a cheap one-year deal, as the former No. 1 overall pick responded with the best season of his NFL career, helping to lead the Bucs to a third straight division title.

Now, the Bucs are going to have to pay up if they want to keep Mayfield as their starter moving forward, and they’ll have to fight off any other potential suitors that Mayfield could have in free agency.

Once such threat to poach Mayfield from Tampa Bay could be an NFC South rival in the Atlanta Falcons, who will be looking to replace Desmond Ridder this offseason:

The Falcons will have plenty of other veteran options including Justin Fields, Kirk Cousins or Russell Wilson, and they also currently own a top-10 pick in the 2024 NFL draft.

While they could end up being a dark-horse candidate to secure Mayfield’s services, it still feels more likely that he’s back in Tampa Bay next season and beyond, while the Falcons opt for one of the other options under center.

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Former Bucs QB Ryan Griffin lands NFL coaching job in NFC North

Griffin will be back on an NFL sideline in 2024, but he won’t be wearing pads this time around.

Former Bucs quarterback Ryan Griffin is back in the NFL — he just won’t be putting on his helmet.

The former Bucs quarterback hasn’t played an NFL snap since 2022, but he’s set to rejoin the fold as a coach. The Chicago Bears announced two new coaching hires, and Griffin was one of them, as he’s set to serve as an assistant working with quarterbacks and receivers.

Griffin was often Tampa Bay’s second or third-string quarterback. He only ever threw four passes in his career, completing two of them for 18 total yards. He had a long career with the Bucs, though, playing for the team from 2015-22. He spent a total of nine years in the NFL, playing for both the Bucs and the New Orleans Saints.

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Ranking all 32 teams (including the Falcons) by 2024 strength of schedule

Ranking all 32 teams (including the #Falcons) by strength of schedule in 2024

It’s officially Super Bowl week in the NFL as the Kansas City Chiefs prepare to take on the San Francisco 49ers this Sunday in Las Vegas. The other 30 NFL teams will be at home focusing on the 2024 season.

Eight teams, including the Atlanta Falcons and the Seattle Seahawks, have hired new head coaches and most are looking ahead to the upcoming free agency period. Plus, the NFL draft is just around the corner.

Another offseason milestone that fans look forward to is the release of the 2024 schedule. While the official schedule release is still roughly 100 days away, we do know which opponents each team will play against this season.

With that in mind, here’s a look at the 2024 strength of schedule for all 32 teams. As you’ll see below, the four NFC South teams have some of the weakest schedules in the entire NFL.

Saints could play International Series game in Germany in 2024

The Saints could play an International Series game with the Panthers in Germany in 2024. Divisional matchups are uncommon, but not unheard of:

There’s a chance the New Orleans Saints could fly overseas again in 2024. The NFL announced Monday that five games will be played in its International Series next season, with the Carolina Panthers hosting one of them. The Saints are not scheduled to travel for games against the other four hosts, but they’ll go to Carolina as part of the annual two-game NFC South rivalry series.

Or, maybe, they’ll go to Germany. The Panthers will play a home game at Munich’s Allianz Arena. New Orleans will not lose another home game to the International Series slate until 2030, but that doesn’t mean they’re prevented from making the trip as visitors. And this being an NFC South feature won’t stop the NFL from assigning them to go.

Divisional matchups are uncommon in overseas games, but they aren’t as rare as you’d think. Of the 43 NFL games played abroad, six have pitted divisional opponents.

In 2022 the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals kicked off at Estadio Azteca in Mexico City. There were three games featuring divisional rivals in the 2019 season, including the Carolina Panthers’ matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London (the Panthers were nominal visitors). Here’s the full list of divisional games in the International Series:

  • 2015: New York Jets vs. Miami Dolphins (AFC East)
  • 2017: Arizona Cardinals vs. Los Angeles Rams (NFC West)
  • 2019: Carolina Panthers vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (NFC South)
  • 2019: Houston Texans vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (AFC South)
  • 2019: Kansas City Chiefs vs. Los Angeles Chargers (AFC West)
  • 2022: San Francisco 49ers vs. Arizona Cardinals (NFC West)

The Saints have played three games in the International Series since it kicked off back in 2007: They won twice at Wembley Stadium in London, beating the San Diego Chargers in 2008 and shutting out the Miami Dolphins in 2017, but they lost a close one to the Minnesota Vikings at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in 2022.

We’ll have to wait and see whether the Saints are making a trip to Germany this year. We learned in early May 2022 that the Saints would kick off with the Vikings in London. The NFL typically unveils the full schedule in May. And watch out for sketchy reports — German tabloids last year ran with the story that the Saints would be visiting for a game with the New England Patriots, but it didn’t pan out. So maybe wait to plan your trip.

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NFC South standings, Week 18: The dust has settled

The Saints won Sunday but didn’t receive the help needed to make the playoffs. Where do they sit in the final NFC South standings?

The New Orleans Saints took down the Atlanta Falcons in dominating fashion to close out the 2023 season. There were multiple young players flashed their talents, hopefully it transfers to next season. Unfortunately for New Orleans, the Buccaneers, Seahawks and Packers all won their season finales. This leaves the Saints on the outside looking into the playoffs.

New Orleans loses the tiebreaker to Tampa Bay because the Buccaneers have a better conference record. This leaves the Saints second in the division at the end of the season. Let’s take a look at the final NFC South divisional standings.

Bucs GM makes cheeky post after team clinches NFC South

Bucs GM Jason Licht kept some receipts and let social media know it after the Bucs clinched the NFC South in Week 18.

Many wrote the Tampa Bay Buccaneers off before the 2023 season. Bucs General Manager Jason Licht didn’t forget it.

The Bucs clinched the NFC South and punched their ticket to the playoffs on Sunday after beating the Carolina Panthers 9-0. The team will host a home playoff game after the win, and Licht looked back to a very specific callout when he celebrated it on Twitter.

New Orleans Saints defensive end Cameron Jordan is always up for a good taunt, and he shot one toward the Bucs at last year’s Pro Bowl games. He was asked about the state of the NFC South after the 2022 season, and he had a pointed jab for Tampa Bay during his answer, saying “Tampa Bay will probably go back to where Tampa Bay has been.”

Licht reposted the clip on Monday, and when he did, he put a positive spin on the jab — seeing as how the Bucs clinched the division for the third year in a row.

“Yep, went back to being the Bucs!” Licht wrote on Twitter. “Champs again.”

The Bucs will face off against the Philadelphia Eagles on primetime Monday night at 8 p.m. for their first playoff game. And because the Green Bay Packers beat the Chicago Bears in Week 18, the Saints will have ample opportunity to watch that game from the couch.

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Studs and duds from Tampa Bay’s 9-0 win over the Panthers

See who we thought was hot and who we thought was not in Tampa Bay’s division-clinching victory.

To say Sunday’s game against the Carolina Panthers was a rough outing may be putting it nicely.

Both teams struggled on Sunday, with neither team scoring a touchdown, but at the end of the day, the Bucs came out on top. The team won 9-0 to take victory in Charlotte and punch a ticket to the playoffs, and despite the slow proceedings, the team got to wear its hat and t-shirts and fly home knowing it’ll survive for at least one more week.

With a 9-0 score comes some studs to stifle the Panthers and some duds to hurt the offense — check out how we saw these players in Week 18 below:

Social media reacts to Tampa Bay’s NFC South division win

The Bucs got it done on Sunday, and fans were excited about a third-straight division title.

It was a year full of ups and downs, but now, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are NFC South champions.

The team clinched the division with a win over the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, and although it was a rough 9-0 victory, it was exactly what Tampa Bay needed to go to the playoffs. This is the fourth year in a row the Bucs are headed to the playoffs and the third year in a row they clinched the NFC South, and of course, Bucs fans had a lot to say about it — and they brought receipts from the beginning of the year.

Here is what Bucs fans and neutral observers had to say after the game:

Bucs blank the Panthers 9-0 to win the NFC South

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers won a (very) hard fought matchup to bring the division title home.

It may not have been pretty, but the Tampa Bay Buccaneers pitched a shut-out on the Carolina Panthers, winning 9-0 and clinching the NFC South and a playoff berth. While the Tampa Bay offense struggled for a second straight week, the defense made big plays at exactly the right time to keep the Panthers off the scoreboard for the second week in a row.

Baker Mayfield struggled most of the day, going 20-of-37 for a season-low 137 yards. Bryce Young was not any better, as he completed 11 of 18 passes for 94 yards, his lowest of the season. Both teams had more relative success running the ball, with the Bucs gaining 113 rush yards and the Panthers getting 131 yards on the ground.

The first quarter was defined by a stubborn detente in which neither team gained more than 30 yards on any drive after the Bucs’ opening series. The Panther’s first offensive drive ended with a Yaya Diaby sack, giving him 7.5 for the season, leading the Bucs.

At the start of the second quarter, the Panthers managed to put together a drive that nearly put them in the endzone on a 43-yard reception until Antoine Winfield Jr. forced a fumble just short of the goal line. Jamel Dean recovered the ball for a touchback.

After trading another pair of punts, the Bucs were able to get into field goal range thanks to a 20-yard reception by tight end Cade Otton. A 36-yard field goal by Chase McLaughlin gave the Bucs the first points of the game. A few more punts later, the Bucs drove down into field goal range again, with McLaughlin closing the half with a 57-yard field goal.

The second half began not unlike the first with both teams trading punts. A 29-yard punt return by Ihmir Smith-Marsette gave the Panthers good field position at bottom half of the third quarter. However, the drive stalled following an Antoine Winfield Jr. sack, pushing their field goal attempt back to the Tampa Bay 34-yard line. Backup kicker Matthew Wright missed the ensuing 52-yard field goal, keeping the Panthers off the board.

A big 21-yard Chase Edmonds run on the Bucs’ next drive put them in field goal position once again. Chase McLaughlin remained perfect on the day, making the 39-yard field goal and pushing the score to 9-0.

In Carolina’s final chance to get in the game, they drove 33 yards and appeared to score on a 28-yard Raheem Blackshear run, but an illegal formation penalty nullified the touchdown. On the next play, Joe Tryon-Shoyinka sacked Bryce Young, forcing a fumble recovered by Greg Gaines. The Bucs sealed the game on the next drive with eight Rachaad White runs and a key third-down conversion from Chris Godwin.

The win gives the Bucs their third-straight division title and fourth-straight playoff berth. Chris Godwin’s team-leading 51 receiving yards put him at 1024 yards for the season, giving him his fourth career 1000-receiving yard season.

Tampa Bay will play either the Dallas Cowboys or Philadelphia Eagles, depending on which of those teams wins the NFC East today. The Bucs have lost the previous matchups with both teams, and their current offensive woes do not bode well for their chances even at home next week.

Buccaneers blank Panthers, win third straight NFC South crown

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are three-time NFC South champions

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 17-17 over the last two seasons. However, combined with Tom Brady’s Super season 2021, it is enough for the team to be NFC South champions for the third consecutive season.

The Bucs wrapped up the division Sunday in Week 18 with a 9-0 win over the putrid Carolina Panthers, who already had the worst record in the league and finished 2-15.

What is amazing about Carolina’s season is that they never led a game in the fourth quarter. Both of the Panthers’ wins came on field goals as time expired.