NFL standings, Week 8: Breaking down the NFC South heading toward Week 9

The NFC South has been a mess and an unexpected team has emerged atop the division. While the Bucs have collapsed, the Falcons have taken advantage and come out of Week 8 leading the division.

The Bucs opened the week with a Thursday Night Football loss to the Ravens. They gave Baltimore some trouble early, but things went south from there and they lost. That opened the door for Atlanta to move into sole possession of first place when they hosted the Panthers.

The game was incredibly chaotic and twice the Falcons should have lost. Leading 16-10, Atlanta let D.J. Moore get behind the secondary with 12 seconds left to catch a 62-yard touchdown pass from P.J. Walker. However, Moore pulled off his helmet while in the end zone, which resulted in a 15-yard unsportsmanlike penalty. Eddy Pineiro’s extra point was moved back 15 yards and he missed the 48-yard attempt. Then, after the Panthers picked off Marcus Mariota, Pineiro had a shot at a 33-yard field goal to win the game. He pulled it wide left and the Falcons eventually were able to move down the field and kick their own game-winning field goal.

The Falcons now sit a game up on Tampa and New Orleans. The Saints shut out the Raiders and still have some kind of shot at the division title.

Below is a rundown of the NFC South division standings, each team’s opponent next week, and their division title odds at DraftKings Sportsbook heading toward Week 9.