New Orleans began their Week 12 bye in third place in the NFC South. They also exit their Week 12 in third place. New Orleans and the Atlanta Falcons both had a week off, while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers both played in games with predictable outcomes.
The Panthers dueled with the Kansas City Chiefs. It was already chalked up as a Chiefs win, but no one expected that the Chiefs would need a last-second field goal to clinch the victory. Bryce Young has played well since returning to the starting lineup and will likely be the Panthers' starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.
Tampa Bay defeated Tommy Devito and the Giants. Defensively, they held the Giants scoreless until the fourth quarter, when the Giants put their only points on the board. At this point it was already 30-0. Baker Mayfield welcomed his top receiver, Mike Evans, back into the lineup after an injury.
Based on expected results, here are the NFC South rankings after Week 12:
1. Atlanta Falcons (6-5)
Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images
Point difference: -30
Sales difference: -3
Next opponent: against Los Angeles Chargers
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6)
Stephen Lew-Imagn Images
Point difference: +36
Sales difference: 0
Next opponent: @Carolina Panthers
3. New Orleans Saints (4-7)
Ella Hall/Getty Images
Point difference: +2
Sales difference: 2
Next opponent: against Los Angeles Rams
4. Carolina Panthers (3-8)
Bob Donnan-Imagn Images
Point difference: -146
Sales difference: 0
Next opponent: against Tampa Bay Buccaneers
