CHARLOTTE — Anytime you can win your bye week, it's a net positive. That's essentially what happened for the Carolina Panthers this week, as the group got much-needed rest during Week 14, while also moving into a tie for first place in the NFC South thanks to some of the dominoes that fell around the division.

Which is a long way of saying the Buccaneers fell to the Saints on Sunday. The loss means the Bucs and the Panthers have the same record (7-6), with the division presumably coming down to those two showdowns in the final three weeks. In Atlanta, the Falcons had an early lead over the Seahawks before special teams had another bumble. Here are the current standings in the NFC South.

t1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers 7-6

t1. Carolina Panthers 7-6

3. Atlanta Falcons 4-9

4 . New Orleans S

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