The NFC South division race remains competitive after Week 13, with both the Carolina Panthers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers securing wins on Sunday. The Panthers are now just half a game behind the Buccaneers, who currently lead the division standings at 7-5. The Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints both lost their matchups, making their paths to the playoffs more challenging.
Tampa Bay welcomed back quarterback Baker Mayfield from a shoulder sprain, along with Chris Godwin and Bucky Irving. Offensive lineman Tristan Wirfs caught a notable touchdown pass in their win against the Arizona Cardinals. Irving, returning after missing seven games, contributed significantly with 61 rushing yards and a touchdown. Godwin added three receptions for 78 yards.
Coach Todd Bowles said of Godwin’s performance: “Chris is starting to look like old Chris. He got his feet wet last week, and this week he was rolling; He was in a good groove. Great to see Bucky back out there. He gives us another element as well, and both of them showed it and put it on display.”
Mayfield commented on his recovery: “It feels pretty good,” adding that avoiding direct hits was key to his continued improvement.
Despite injuries impacting offensive rhythm, Mayfield saw progress: “Today felt like we were very, very close,” he said. “Guys took the message and a lot of things at heart during the week of practice, so we just have to be able to continue to translate it to the game field. But, that’s the mentality we’re looking for – guys understand that if you handle it and you prepare like that, good things will happen and go from there.”
Bowles also expressed hope that receivers Mike Evans (fractured clavicle/concussion) and Jalen McMillan (neck) would soon return from injury reserve: “He’s been running,” Bowles said about McMillan. “It’s just a matter of him putting on a helmet and seeing where he is strength-wise with his neck. He’ll start doing more this week…But he will start moving around.” Regarding Evans’ return: “That’s a possibility as well.”
In Atlanta’s 27-24 loss to the New York Jets, special teams issues played a decisive role after Jamal Agnew muffed a punt leading directly to points for New York. Despite this setback—and another missed field goal—coach Raheem Morris voiced support for his staff: “No,” Morris said when asked about coaching changes on special teams. “Not at this time…I got a lot of confidence in what Marquice (Williams) does…We just have not done that.”
Running back Bijan Robinson stood out by recording 193 yards from scrimmage—his third game this season with at least 175 yards—and has surpassed 100 scrimmage yards in eight games so far.
Quarterback Kirk Cousins highlighted areas needing improvement: “Looking at the places that we need to be better on the field, and improving those areas over the next five weeks…Third down today, again, was not as good as we want it to be.”
Rookies James Pearce Jr. and Jalon Walker each reached five sacks this season; Atlanta joins only three other teams in ten years with multiple rookies reaching that mark.
Falcons left tackle Jake Matthews emphasized professionalism despite frustrations: “I think just taking pride in doing a good job,” Matthews said.
The New Orleans Saints mounted a strong second-half comeback but fell short against Miami Dolphins by four points—a loss eliminating them from playoff contention.
Coach Kellen Moore stated: “Great game. Obviously, a really good game of back-and-forth football. I loved our guys’ resiliency…Ultimately, we didn’t do enough…”
Kicker Charlie Smyth made an impression in his NFL debut after replacing Blake Grupe: “Whenever you’re in that situation, those juices flow…I use it to swing harder.” Smyth converted an onside kick late but it did not result in points for New Orleans.
Cam Jordan recorded two sacks—his thirtieth career multi-sack game—while Bryan Breese and Chase Young also tallied one each; Kool-Aid McKinstry intercepted Tua Tagovailoa.
Moore reflected postgame: “Every game has things we can take from it…The way our guys responded…I loved the energy…We came up short in the end…”
Alvin Kamara remained sidelined due to injury sustained last week.
