What changed during the Saints’ Week 12 bye?

The New Orleans entered their Week 12 bye week at third place in the NFC South. They also walk out of their Week 12 bye week at third place. New Orleans and the Atlanta Falcons both had the week off while the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers both participated in games with a predictable outcome.

The Panthers dueled the Kansas City Chiefs. It was already put in the books as a Chiefs victory, but no one expected the Chiefs to need a last second field goal to pull off the win. Bryce Young has played well since returning to the starting lineup and will likely be the Panthers’ starting quarterback for the remainder of the season.

Tampa Bay squashed Tommy Devito and the Giants. Defensively, they held the Giants scoreless until the fourth quarter when the Giants put their only points on the board. By that time, it was already 30-0. Baker Mayfield welcomed his top receiver, Mike Evans, back to the lineup from injury.

After the expected outcomes, here are the NFC South standings after Week 12:

1. Atlanta Falcons (6-5)

Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images

Point differential: -30

Turnover differential: -3

Next opponent: vs. Los Angeles Chargers

2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6)

Stephen Lew-Imagn Images

Point differential: +36

Turnover differential: 0

Next opponent: @ Carolina Panthers

3. New Orleans Saints (4-7)

Ella Hall/Getty Images

Point differential: +2

Turnover differential: 2

Next opponent: vs. Los Angeles Rams

4. Carolina Panthers (3-8)

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

Point differential: -146

Turnover differential: 0

Next opponent: vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers