The NFC South continues to mock the NFL's other divisions as we head into the back half of the 2026 season. The Atlanta Falcons kicked off Week 9 with a 34-17 loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Madrid. With that loss, the Falcons now sit in the NFC South basement at 3-6 overall.

The good news for Atlanta is the rest of the division has been every bit as pathetic through the first nine weeks of the season. All four teams have won exactly three games. The Carolina Panthers lost a close one to the Denver Broncos on Sunday to fall to 3-5.

Meanwhile, the sleeper New Orleans Saints are on the rise after their 23-22 overtime win over Shedeur Sanders and the Cleveland Browns. At 3-5, the Saints have taken a half-game lead over the Falcons in the standings.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers forced another four interceptions in Week 9, but they still lost to the Chicago Bears on Sunday night to drop to 3-6. The Bucs currently hold the head-to-head tiebreaker over the Falcons, despite having the same record.

As you can see below, the NFC South has gone 12-22 overall as we head into Week 10.

NFC South standings: Falcons fall to last place

The Panthers and the Saints will face off this weekend in New Orleans with first place in the NFC South on the line. By doing so, the Saints will have gone worst-to-first in one week.

The Buccaneers have their bye in Week 10, so they can't give Baker Mayfield and Co. some extra rest before they return in Week 11 to face the Detroit Lions.

As for the Falcons, they get the pleasure of hosting the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 10. The Chiefs are 6-2 after blowing out the New York Jets on Sunday. Atlanta has gone 1-4 inside Mercedes-Benz Stadium this, so don't expect home-field advantage to play a factor.