It was a very, very bad Sunday for teams in the NFC South.

If not for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers taking down the New Orleans Saints -- but still not looking great while doing so -- the division could've been a lost cause. 

Here's where things stand following Week 8 matchups in the NFL.

1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (6-2)

The Bucs have started to create some separation in the NFC South, even though this has honestly looked like their division to lose from the very beginning of the season.

Although the offense didn't look great in the team's 23-3 win over the Saints on Sunday, the defense made up for it with two interceptions -- including a pick-six -- and two fumbles. The unit held New Orleans to just one field goal right before halftime and frustrated the opposing offense to the point that backup quarterback Tyler Shough was brought into the game in place of Spencer Rattler. 

Baker Mayfield had one of his worst performances of the season, with just 152 yards on 15-of-24 passing. However, he's shown that he can improve from there and keep his team sailing to victory. 

2. Carolina Panthers (4-4)

Carolina's three-game win streak officially came to an end following a 40-9 loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

It was an ugly game by all standards, with the Panthers defense giving up 16 points in the second quarter and 21 points in the third... oh, and 245 total rushing yards, including 216 to running back James Cook. Backup signal-caller Andy Dalton showed that he's well past his prime as he replaced the injured Bryce Young, throwing for just 175 yards and an interception. He was also sacked seven times. 

Things won't get easier for Carolina as the season progresses. Was the winning streak nothing more than a trio of fluke victories against some of the league's worst teams?

3. Atlanta Falcons (3-4)

Things have gone from bad to worse for the Falcons... because how did they lose to the Miami Dolphins by a score of 34-10?

Tua Tagovailoa battled through some eye-swelling caused by an illness, and he still managed to throw for 205 yards and four touchdowns against an abysmal Atlanta defense. Meanwhile, Kirk Cousins got the start for the Falcons in place of injured signal-caller Michael Penix Jr., and he didn't do much to impress anyone. On the ground, Atlanta had just 45 total yards between four players, and Tyler Allgeier had the team's only touchdown.

Right now, it looks like the Falcons are heading back to the drawing board as they try to put together a competitive team. But who knows: the team has looked solid at times this year, so there's still time to at least put up a fight. 

4. New Orleans Saints (1-7)

Every week seems to present a new problem for the Black and Gold.

This week, the defense had an incredibly strong first half against Tampa Bay, limiting the offense to just 80 total yards. Things fell apart a bit after halftime, but there wasn't much they could do as the Bucs kept getting ideal field position due to turnovers. 

Meanwhile, Spencer Rattler has regressed as the season has gone on and is now 1-13 as a starter in the NFL. Tyler Shough was brought in to try to get things going late in the game, and even he looked a bit better despite being the rookie. Head coach Kellen Moore has hinted that the team will be taking a good look at both quarterbacks to see who is more ready to lead the Saints from this point on. 

Regardless of who gets the starting nod, the franchise as a whole has a lot of soul-searching to do.