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 Saints 3-10

Let's dive a little further into what happened around the NFC South in Week 14.

New Orleans Saints (3-10, 2-2): Saints get their second division win in the rain

The Saints may have already been eliminated from playoff contention, but that doesn't mean they can't still affect what happens in the postseason. That was clear on Sunday, when New Orleans went into Tampa Bay and got their second division win in four weeks, beating the Bucs 24-20.

"We can beat anybody. When we're stalling out, we're beating ourselves," quarterback Tyler Shough said. "Knowing how close we have been in some of those losses, how you can flip it on its head, and we produce those big plays, we'd get those wins."

Most of the game was played in a driving deluge, otherwise known as 2 p.m. in Tampa, but it did change how the two teams played the game. Both quarterbacks threw an interception, and the difference in the game largely came in what each team did with the ensuing possession: the Bucs got a field goal off the Shough interception, while the Saints picked up a touchdown following the Baker Mayfield turnover.

"Our guys have a lot of adversity this year, and they've grown through this journey," coach Kellen Moore said.

The weather also forced both teams to keep the ball on the ground as much as possible. For the Saints, that meant leaning on Devin Neal. The rookie running back scored his first NFL touchdown on the Saints' opening drive and ran the ball 19 times for 70 yards.

"Devin (Neal) was awesome, really cool to see him go out there and play the way he did," bragged Moore. "Really lead that run game, the physicality he played with, the finish that he played with. Then even on the third downs – I thought the check down completion, he makes a play there and get a first down, that was huge in this game."

Shough also used his legs at opportune times on Sunday. While he took a couple of avoidable sacks in his fifth start, he also broke out seven times for 55 yards.

Two of those times resulted in touchdowns; one on a 34-yard run and the other on a 13-yard run.

"Every single practice, every single week, I feel my confidence growing more and more," said Shough of his growth as a rookie. "Just the ability to go out there [and] put points on the board in any way we can, so there's a lot of plays that we can look at, and I can look at, and continue to continue to grow with, but we're just really proud of everybody, especially against a defense like that in those conditions to kind of turn out a win."

It was Neal and Shough handling the bulk of the carries, since Alvin Kamara was sidelined for the second game in a row with a knee and ankle injury.

The Saints' defense, in addition to Alontae Taylor's interception of Mayfield, also stifled the Bucs on money downs, holding them to 3-of-13 on third downs and 2-7 on fourth-down attempts.

"Just credit to our defense, big time," said Moore. "Fourth downs – big time, big time plays whether it's the run game or the pass game. [In the] run game [had] big time stops – 'Grando' (Carl Granderson) made the big tackle for loss. Kool-Aid [McKinstry] on the sideline, there is the play where there is a catch, and he is physical at the catch point and makes it a bobble catch. So, credit to our guys they made some big time plays."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (7-6, 2-1): Drop a rainy slugfest to make the division closer

After an auspicious start—going 6-2 before their bye week, even with a beat-up offense—the Bucs have run into struggle after struggle since. And on Sunday, with a chance to take firmer control of the division, Tampa Bay suffered its fourth loss in five games.

"It sucks," said quarterback Baker Mayfield of the loss. "It felt like we just gave it away, or didn't make the plays to win it. Just too many mistakes. Conditions aren't an excuse because they had to play in them, too. None of that matters."

With the rain, the Bucs also went to the ground. Bucky Irving, in his second game back from a shoulder injury that sidelined him for seven weeks, carried the ball 15 times for 55 yards, and took two receptions for 26 yards and a touchdown. Irving hobbled off the field at one point but was able to return.

He led a three-headed attack that also included Rachaad White (11 carries for 53 yards) and Sean Tucker (seven rushes for 29 yards and one touchdown).

Through the air, though, Mayfield and his receivers were just on different pages all day. Chris Godwin, in his second game back after missing seven weeks as well, was the leading receiver with five receptions for just 55 yards. And with under five minutes to play, the Bucs looked to have a would-be game-tying touchdown when Emeka Egbuka broke free, but he couldn't bring in Mayfield's pass.

After holding the Saints to a punt and getting the ball back with just under two minutes, the Bucs looked to be moving, but Mayfield's pass to Cade Otton on fourth-and-4 was stopped short by inches.

"It's just a matter of making plays, and plays that guys have made a bunch of times…yeah, just got to execute," said Mayfield. "Got to be able to get a yard on those short-yardage situations. That's just flat-out what it is."

The Bucs went into the game already beat-up. Despite getting Irving and Godwin back, receivers Mike Evans and Jalen McMillan remained sidelined, Evans with a broken clavicle and McMillan with a neck injury. Both participated in practice last week when their 21-day window was opened and on Tuesday, Bowles said both are "in play" for Thursday's game.

All-Pro tackle Tristan Wirfs (oblique) was inactive against the Saints but his status will be monitored throughout this week. Guard Ben Bredeson left in the second quarter with a knee-injury and was placed on Injured Reserve Tuesday, meaning both of Tampa's Week 1 starting guards are now on IR. Defensive back Tykee Smith left with a stinger, and pass-rusher Haason Reddick left with an ankle injury.

The Bucs brought back some experience this week, adding former Super Bowl winning outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul to the practice squad.

Tampa Bay has a short week with another division game on deck. The Falcons will travel to Tampa for a Thursday night showdown to kick off Week 15.

"Our biggest thing is, we can't let one loss turn into two because we've got to turn around and play Thursday," said coach Todd Bowles. "We've got to come to work tomorrow, as bitter of a taste as this – and it's very bitter for me and everybody else – we've got to turn around tomorrow and not let one loss turn into two."

Atlanta Falcons (4-9, 1-3): Special teams an issue again in loss

Coaches often talk about the "middle-eight" changing a game: the last four minutes of the first half and the first four minutes of the second half. But on Sunday in Atlanta, it was more like the middle three that turned the game on its head.

For most of the first half, Atlanta and the Seattle Seahawks were in a defensive battle. With just over a minute to go in the game, the two teams were tied at 3-all. The Falcons were just outside the Seattle red zone, and Kirk Cousins found Darnell Mooney for what looked to be a 25-yard touchdown. But officials deemed Mooney had stepped out of bounds and not reestablished himself.

"We ruled that he did not reestablish himself back in bounds, that he went out on his own," referee Alex Kemp said via a pool report. "He was not forced out."

Instead, the Falcons had to settle for a field goal to take a 6-4 lead. But the Seahawks quickly answered as time expired on the first half with a field goal of their own.

"You try not to let anything deflate you," quarterback Kirk Cousins said of the play. "You try not to let anything beat you. You try to keep playing... and believe that if you do, you'll be competing until the end. But yeah, you look back at the end of the game and kind of say, 'Yeah, that would have been a nice one to have there, and it just didn't go our way.'"

That wasn't the biggest moment, though, according to coach Raheem Morris.

"No," he said. "The momentum-turning play was the kickoff return after the half."

The Falcons were already struggling with kickoff returns coming into Sunday, with the highest kickoff return average allowed at 29.8 yards per return. That number only went up after the opening play of the second half, when Rashid Shaheed—who has long annoyed NFC South teams formally as a member of the Saints—took the kickoff back 100 yards for a touchdown.

It kicked off a half in which safety Jessie Bates III felt the game completely slipped from their hands.

"Just the whole second half," said Bates, of when things went wrong. "I didn't think we played well."

The Seahawks outscored the Falcons 31-3 in the second half, including a 17-point third quarter.

Atlanta had bright spots with their stars. With 86 yards on 20 carries, running back Bijan Robinson surpassed 3,500 career rushing yards, making him the third player in NFL history with at least 3,500 rushing yards and 1,500 receiving yards through three career seasons. The other two are Hall of Fame running back LaDainian Tomlinson and former Falcons running back William Andrews.

The Falcons' rookie edge rushing phenom James Pearce Jr. recorded his sixth sack of the season. Pearce is tied for second-most sacks by a Falcons rookie in a single season since 1982, when sacks became an official stat. Defensive lineman Mike Pitts had seven in 1983.

And tight end Kyle Pitts Sr. hauled in three receptions of 20-plus yards.

With the loss, the Falcons are officially eliminated from playoff contention. They have to get right back on the road, though, with a chance to play spoiler when they face the Bucs on Thursday night in Tampa Bay.

"Our fan base deserves a winner," said Morris. "The only thing we can do is try to find a way to win this Thursday's football game. You can't make any promise that you can't keep at this moment. The only thing you can do is try to give them the best efforts you can give them, potentially on Thursday night."