Sizing up the NFC South — and where the Falcons stand

Through the first six weeks of the NFL season, the NFC South is just about what many analysts expected it would be.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Falcons are perched atop the division standings. The surprise team is the Carolina Panthers, who are at .500, including an impressive win over the Falcons.

Sure, it’s only six weeks, but the South conceivably could send two teams to the playoffs, and with no unbeaten teams left — and really, no truly elite team in the conference — things could be wide open.

Here’s a breakdown of the NFC South so far:

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-1)

Baker Mayfield for MVP? That probably wasn’t on anybody’s bingo card, but that’s a distinct possibility, as the veteran quarterback has led the Bucs to the best record in the NFC. They escaped in their first four victories, winning by a combined nine points. There’s some luck involved, but there’s also some skill, and Mayfield has led the way.

The Bucs are dealing with a ton of injuries, with receivers Mike Evans, Emeka Egbuka and Chris Godwin, along with running back Bucky Irving missing time. That’s brought us the beauty of rookie seventh-round pick Tez Johnson.

It’ll be worth watching to see whether Mayfield can maintain his career-best play or the Bucs come back to the pack.

Falcons (3-2)

Both of the losses have come within the division, with an opening defeat in the final minute to the Bucs and a stunning shutout against the Panthers. The wins, though, have been worth watching, capped by Monday’s dismantling of the Bills.

Running back Bijan Robinson has emerged as one of the league’s elite offensive players, with several highlight-reel plays this season. His emergence has allowed quarterback Michael Penix Jr. to develop slowly, with receiver Drake London and tight end Kyle Pitts providing solid targets.

The big story has been the defense, which was bolstered in the draft, with the additions of Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr. and Xavier Watts. When they’ve been able to pressure the quarterback, they’ve been effective.

If they can get through the first half of the schedule above .500, the Falcons could soar, with a weaker slate of opponents to finish the season.

Carolina Panthers (3-3)

A funny thing happened on the way to the Panthers vying for another top-10 draft pick — they figured some things out. They lost their first two road games and followed with an eye-opening home win over the Falcons. More surprising than the victory was the 30-0 score. With consecutive wins at home over the Dolphins and Cowboys, the Panthers are poised to tip above .500, if they can get a road win against the Jets.

Running back Rico Dowdle had a breakout game against his former team, the Cowboys, in a revenge game. Quarterback Bryce Young has struggled, so much so that he has only one game with more than 200 passing yards.

The solid record could turn out to be a mirage, and a daunting schedule in the second half of the season will help determine whether the Panthers are legit.

New Orleans Saints (1-5)

The only surprise with the Saints is that they’re 1-5 and not 0-6. Although three of their losses (all at home) were by seven points or fewer, the Saints seem to be a mess and they could be counting down to the draft, where they’ll hope to upgrade at quarterback.