NEW ORLEANS — Perhaps you've heard, the NFC South is tightly packed, as it usually is.

Going into Week 10, all four teams in the division have the same number of wins, with the 3-5 Panthers and Saints edging out the 3-6 Falcons and Buccaneers at the moment.

And since last year came down to a three-way tie for first — which the Panthers won thanks to an Atlanta win over the Saints the day after they lost to the Bucs with a chance to close it out — we thought it would be helpful to keep everyone up to date on where things stand in terms of the division.

NFC South standings, entering Week 10

Week 10 Schedule

Carolina at New Orleans, 1 p.m. ET

Kansas City at Atlanta, 1 p.m. ET

Tampa Bay, bye week

The important thing to remember is that division wins are crucial, but not the only thing. That overall record is first and most important.

But in the event of ties between two teams, here's how the NFL breaks a tie for the division title (which at the moment seems like the only playoff berth for the NFC South unless someone gets on a real heater).

Tiebreaker order

Two Clubs
1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games between the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
5. Strength of victory in all games.
6. Strength of schedule in all games
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

Three or More Clubs
(Note: If two clubs remain tied after one-or-more clubs are eliminated during any step, tiebreaker restarts at Step 1 of two-club format. If three clubs remain tied after a fourth club is eliminated during any step, tiebreaker restarts at Step 1 of three-club format.)

1. Head-to-head (best won-lost-tied percentage in games among the clubs).
2. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the division.
3. Best won-lost-tied percentage in common games.
4. Best won-lost-tied percentage in games played within the conference.
5. Strength of victory in all games.
6. Strength of schedule in all games.
7. Best combined ranking among conference teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
8. Best combined ranking among all teams in points scored and points allowed in all games.
9. Best net points in common games.
10. Best net points in all games.
11. Best net touchdowns in all games.
12. Coin toss

What it all means to the NFC South

So, here's how all that applies to the NFC South at the moment.

If the season ended today, the Panthers would own the top spot thanks to their superior division record (1-1 to the Saints' 0-1). But it's early enough, and they play in a few hours, so that's a moot point at the moment. (Also, if the season ended today, a lot of people would be confused as to why the season ended the Sunday morning of Week 10.)

Here's a breakdown of how each team has fared against division opponents, and what comes next:

CAROLINA in the division (1-1)

ATLANTA in the division (1-2)

NEW ORLEANS in the division (0-1)

TAMPA BAY in the division (2-0)

OK, so if we get in a situation like last year, when two (or three) teams tie with the same overall and division record, common games become important.

The NFL's schedule rotation has the NFC South playing the NFC North and AFC North this year, plus three additional games that were contingent on last year's standings.

So the games against the Bears, Lions, Packers, Vikings, Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers become more important.

Here's a look at how the NFC South teams stack up there at the moment. The Saints have a slight edge here at this early point (with wins over the Ravens and Browns), and the Bucs have yet to win a game in this segment (which means their games against the Lions and Ravens become more important).

CAROLINA common opponents (1-3)

ATLANTA common opponents (1-4)

NEW ORLEANS common opponents (2-3)

TAMPA BAY common opponents (0-6)

If it gets past this for some reason, it goes to conference record; at that point, the Panthers, Bucs, and Falcons are all 3-3, and the Saints are 1-3.

If it gets past that, it goes to strength of victory. We can explain that in further depth as we get closer to this point.

Of course, the team isn't looking at any of this. This is just for the fans. They're locked in on one thing, and that's game day.

Stay tuned throughout the season as we update this, and what should be a wild final two months for the always-entertaining NFC South.