The Tampa Bay Buccaneers needed to win in Week 7 against the Carolina Panthers to stay in the hunt for the NFC South. Not only did they win, but they also dominated their division rival 43-13.

In any other division, the 2-5 Buccaneers would still be on the outside looking in. But in the NFC South, the weakest division in football, a late-season run is still very possible, and the Bucs might be starting an improbable run to take the division lead after a shocking 0-4 start.

The Bucs are just 1.5 games out of the division lead. Can they take that lead on Sunday if they beat the Atlanta Falcons at home?

Can the Buccaneers Take the NFC South Lead on Sunday?

Not quite. But oh, are they close.

The Buccaneers are currently third in the NFC South as it stands, but they're just 1.5 games back from the division lead. Interestingly enough, they're also now the only team in the division with a positive point differential despite being in third place.

The Bucs play the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Falcons are 3-4, but if the Bucs win that game, both teams will be 3-5. The Bucs would move up to second place in the division with more division wins and a high point differential than the Falcons.

They'd have the same number of wins as the Panthers at that point, but the Panthers have played one less game — by that measure, the Bucs would not take first place, but they'd be just half a game out of it.

The New Orleans Saints, meanwhile, are on their own bye week in Week 8, so they won't play Sunday. That will keep them at 2-5, meaning that they can't move up in the order after once again getting relegated to last place after Tampa Bay's win and their own loss on Sunday.

The Bucs host the Falcons at home on Sunday at 1 p.m. That game is huge for Tampa Bay — win, and they're firmly in the hunt for the NFC South crown. A loss would send them back once again and leave them playing catch-up for the rest of the year.