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Let’s take a look at some of the top Thursday headlines from around the NFC South. Fair warning up front that this is going to be a bit heavy on the Saints. That’s because they’re still playing and the rest of the division is fairly quiet right now.

San Francisco defensive coordinator Vic Fangio had a great quote when asked about the Saints adding running back Darren Sproles in the offseason -- "I can't believe they got him for the cheap price they got him, for replacing Reggie Bush. I think if it was the NBA, the commissioner might have stepped in and stopped the move."

Injured New Orleans safety Roman Harper and receiver Lance Moore are optimistic they’ll be able to play against the 49ers.

Bradley Handwerger has a nice story on New Orleans receiver Marques Colston and how he’s developed a reputation for being one of the league’s toughest receivers. That’s very true. Colston is a big, strong guy, and isn’t hesitant to go over the middle and catch passes.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank said simply getting to the playoffs on a regular basis isn’t good enough. He wants to win a Super Bowl. I admire Blank for coming right out and saying that in front of coach Mike Smith and general manager Thomas Dimitroff. If it puts some added pressure on them, that’s not a bad thing. Blank has given Smith and Dimitroff a lot of resources, and the owner has every right to expect great returns on his investments.

Greg Olson, who was fired as Tampa Bay’s offensive coordinator when Raheem Morris’ entire staff was dismissed, will interview for the job as quarterbacks coach with the Chicago Bears.

ESPN.com bloggers Dan Graziano (NFC East), Kevin Seifert (NFC North), Pat Yasinskas (NFC South) and Mike Sando (NFC West) analyze the NFC.

If the season ended today, the New Orleans Saints would be the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoffs.

They’d host a first-round game against the No. 6 Chicago Bears. They might even be able to get a home game against Detroit or Dallas in the second round. But the Saints also would have to go on the road if they ended up playing either Green Bay or San Francisco in the NFC Championship Game.

The Saints would be the NFC South’s only playoff representative at the moment. But the Atlanta Falcons are 6-4 and only a game behind the Saints. That means the Falcons are very much in the playoff picture.

That picture is starting to become clearer. With six weeks left in the regular season, it’s not too early to start talking playoffs. It’s not too early to start envisioning all of the different scenarios.

With that in mind, let me recommend that you take a trip over to ESPN’s Playoff Machine. Go over there and you can punch in any scenario you want and the machine will sort things out for you.

You might want to save the link because the Playoff Machine could be an even more valuable tool as the season goes on.

Thoughts on the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ 24-18 loss against the Chicago Bears at Wembley Stadium:

What it means: This game was typical of what we’ve seen from the young Buccaneers this season. One week after playing the best game since Raheem Morris has been the coach (a victory against the New Orleans Saints), the Bucs were flat against the Bears. The offense didn’t really show up until the fourth quarter and the run defense, which played so well against the Saints, was horrible. If the Bucs are going to challenge for the NFC South title, they have to start showing more consistency.

Time to worry? Just like the rest of the team, quarterback Josh Freeman has been up and down this season. He was down against the Bears, after playing his best game of the season against the Saints. Freeman was intercepted four times. That gives him 10 interceptions for the season. Freeman threw just six interceptions in the entire 2010 season.

On the positive side: There’s not much to work with here, but cornerback Ronde Barber recorded the first safety of his career when he tackle Chicago’s Matt Forte in the end zone. It was only the 10^th safety in franchise history. Barber already had the NFL record for sacks by a cornerback. He extended it to 27.

Stat of the week: 0-2. That’s Tampa Bay’s record in regular-season home games in London. There have been indications the Bucs may want to volunteer a home game a season in the future to be played in London. Considering coaches, players and sometimes even owners are a superstitious lot, the Bucs might not want to be so eager to go back.

What’s next: The Buccaneers have a bye next week. They return to action Nov. 6 against the Saints in New Orleans.

Jon Anik goes inside the numbers for the Bears-Buccaneers matchup.

It appears the Chicago Bears have the edge in at least one matchup when they play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in London.

Chicago running back Matt Forte has been particularly effective when running to the right side (the left side of the defensive line). Forte has gained 291 yards when running to his right, according to ESPN Stats & Information. That’s the highest total in the NFL and Forte is 77 yards ahead of the next person in that category.

Couple that with the fact that Tampa Bay’s defense is allowing a league-high 8.2 yards per carry on runs to the left side of its defensive line and the Bucs could have a big problem.

Tampa Bay usually starts Michael Bennett at end and Gerald McCoy at tackle on the left side. Opponents have rushed for 361 yards (No. 2 in the league) against the left side of Tampa Bay’s defensive line. On plays to the left side of the defensive line, the Bucs have allowed a league-worst five rushes of 20 or more yards.

Thoughts on Carolina’s 34-29 loss to the Chicago Bears at Soldier Field:

What it means: The Panthers lead the league in moral victories, but they’re 1-3. They went into a tough venue and kept the game close until the end. That’s nice and there’s lots of hope for the future. But the Panthers still have a little way to go before they can win games on the road against good teams. High-priced kicker Olindo Mare didn’t exactly help matters by missing a field-goal attempt and having another blocked.

What I liked: The Panthers got DeAngelo Williams in rhythm in the running game for the first time this season. I know fans have been calling for Jonathan Stewart to start ahead of Williams and get the vast majority of the carries. Stewart’s a very good running back, but I honestly believe Williams is better. He’s more dynamic. Other than Steve Smith, he’s the most explosive player on this roster.

Cam’s calm: The most encouraging thing about the Panthers is rookie quarterback Cam Newton. This guy kept Carolina in the game and he bounced back nicely after throwing an early interception that was returned for a touchdown. His demeanor was impressive and you can’t say the same for counterpart Jay Cutler. The Chicago quarterback was making faces at teammates and freaking out at every sign of trouble.

What I didn’t like: Ron Rivera knows the Bears pretty well. He should have known better than to ever punt or kick the ball anywhere near Devin Hester.

What else I didn’t like: The Panthers couldn’t stop the run. Then again, that’s not at all surprising. They haven’t done that for a few years, and that probably isn’t going to change anytime soon with linebackers Jon Beason and Thomas Davis out for the season.

Mr. Consistency: Carolina’s Charles Johnson has a sack in all four games this season. He had a six-game streak last season. This guy has done a nice job of filling the shoes of Julius Peppers. Johnson doesn’t take over a game the way Peppers sometimes did. But he also doesn’t disappear for weeks at a time, the way Peppers often did. Carolina has tried repeatedly to address the defensive tackle position. Nothing’s worked. This team has to go out and find a stud defensive tackle in free agency or the draft next year.

What’s next: The Panthers host the Saints next Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.

A few random thoughts on the two early NFC South games at halftime.

• Carolina’s very much in its game with the Bears. Chicago leads 24-20, but rookie quarterback Cam Newton is having a nice day. He bounced back after throwing an early interception that was returned for a touchdown. Newton’s thrown for 199 yards and run for two touchdowns.

• Carolina’s Steve Smith is having a huge day. He already has six catches for 153 yards. Makes you wonder why Atlanta’s receivers had so much trouble getting open deep against the vaunted Cover Two in the season opener?

• The Bears have kept the ball out of Jay Cutler’s hands as much as possible. He’s attempted only four passes. If Carolina can get a lead and force the Bears to throw, Chicago’s protection issues could be exposed in the second half.

• Things aren’t going as smoothly as you might have expected for the Saints in Jacksonville. They are leading 14-10, but this game is much closer than it should be.

• New Orleans hasn’t been able to force many mistakes by rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert. He’s thrown for 165 yards and a touchdown, and hasn’t been pressured all that much.

• Drew Brees made an uncharacteristic mistake by throwing an interception near the end of the first half. That led to a Jacksonville field goal.

• Surprisingly, the Jaguars have come out throwing and haven’t really gotten Maurice Jones-Drew involved in the running game.
• I'll be back with wrap-ups on both games soon after they end.

Here’s the game plan for Week 4 of the NFC South season.

My main assignment for this week is the “Monday Night Football’’ game between the Colts and Buccaneers. My preview column on that game is already up, and you also might want to check out our “Monday Night Football’’ page for more extensive coverage on both teams.

On Sunday, I’ll be watching the early games between the Panthers and Bears and Saints and Jaguars. Soon after those games are over, I’ll be filing wrap-up posts. Then, I’ll be watching the later game between the Falcons and Seahawks. As soon as that’s over, I’ll have a wrap-up.

The inactives for the early games should be popping up on the blog sometime around 11:45 a.m.

Let's take a look at the Saturday headlines from around the NFC South.

Interesting story on the relationship between Chicago defensive end Julius Peppers and Carolina defensive end Charles Johnson. They used to be teammates and there’s lots of irony in the quotes. Peppers says Johnson wasn’t very mature when he came into the league and he tried to show the young player the way. Johnson backs that up, calls Peppers a leader and says he strives to be as consistent as Peppers. Funny, but, prior to this, nobody ever accused Peppers of being mature, a leader or consistent in his Carolina days. But, if Peppers did have something to do with Johnson’s development, then he did leave a bit of a positive legacy in Carolina.

Speaking of former Panthers now with the Bears, safety Chris Harris didn’t sound optimistic about his chances of playing Sunday due to a hamstring injury.

The Saints are saying they won’t approach Sunday’s game against Jacksonville rookie quarterback Blaine Gabbert any differently than any other opponent. They even praise Gabbert and say they think he’s well prepared for the challenge. I think the Saints are just being nice. On Sunday, I expect defensive coordinator Gregg Williams to send every pass-rusher he’s got after Gabbert. Besides, even if Gabbert plays better than he did in the rain at Carolina last week, he’s not going to win a shootout with Drew Brees.

Despite starting slowly on offense in all three games this season, the Falcons aren’t going to abandon their practice of scripting the first 15 plays. But it might be wise if coordinator Mike Mularkey inserts some plays that haven’t been in the script this season. It also might be wise if he places a tight end next to left tackle Sam Baker in an effort to help keep quarterback Matt Ryan on his feet.

There already had been reports that Atlanta safety William Moore was fined for a hit on Tampa Bay quarterback Josh Freeman last week. But Roy Cummings reports Moore’s $7,500 tab actually was for a hit on running back Earnest Graham. Cummings also reports that Tampa Bay defensive tackle Brian Price was fined $7,500 for slapping an Atlanta player in the head.

Falcons owner Arthur Blank reportedly sold his Buckhead mansion for $3.9 million.

The Bucs held a Friday night practice to prepare for their Monday night game. Linebacker Quincy Black (ankle) and tight end Kellen Winslow (knee) were among those who sat out. Winslow generally sits out one practice a week and he already had missed Thursday’s practice, so this is one to keep an eye on. The Bucs don’t have to issue their final injury report until later Saturday. We’ll let you know Winslow’s status as soon as we get it.

When it comes to the Week 4 NFC South games, ESPN’s panel of experts is in total agreement.

In each of the four games, the call is unanimous. All the panelists have the Saints defeating the Jaguars, the Falcons beating the Seahawks, the Buccaneers winning against the Colts and the Panthers losing to the Bears.

I’m in total agreement on the Saints and Buccaneers. I also think the Falcons should win, but Seattle is a tough venue and Atlanta still is trying to find its identity, so anything is possible.

The one game I can really see going the other way is Carolina at Chicago. Yeah, I know the Bears are the better team on paper and they’re playing at home. But Chicago’s got some issues, mainly its pass protection. Charles Johnson and Greg Hardy might be able to get after Jay Cutler.

This game also means a lot to Carolina coach Ron Rivera, who played for the Bears and was dismissed as their defensive coordinator a few years back. He’ll have his team ready and we know the Panthers can score some points now that they have Cam Newton.

I don’t make predictions, but I wouldn’t be surprised if Carolina pulls off an upset.

One of the most impressive things I’ve seen out of Carolina Panthers coach Ron Rivera is his honesty.

The latest example of that came in this radio interview with Chicago’s WSCR, Rivera was asked about his departure from the Chicago Bears' coaching staff after the 2006 season. Rivera’s contract wasn’t renewed and he ended up moving on to become defensive coordinator for the San Diego Chargers. Rivera previously had played linebacker for the Bears and done an earlier stint as an assistant coach with the team.

Rivera and the Panthers face the Bears on Sunday.

"I'm not shying away from the fact that this is a big one for me,'' Rivera said. "I really feel it. These games are all big, but for me it has a little something extra because it is Chicago.''

See, it’s really not that hard to admit the truth. But so many other coaches and players would have danced around that one and said something like “it’s just another game."

Rivera is refreshing in that regard. He can give an honest answer, but, at the same time, he doesn’t stir up controversy. Rivera said he holds no grudge against Chicago coach Lovie Smith.

"I've said it before, this was all football,'' Rivera said. "As long as it's not a personal thing or issue like that, it's all football business. We just go on about our business and do the things we do. I'm looking forward to it. I really am. Plus there were some guys that were there when I was there. Brian Urlacher, Lance Briggs, Chris Harris is back. These are super guys. Roberto Garza. These are guys that I've gotten to know and I was with for a while. The coaching staff, I still know a lot of those guys there.''

New Orleans defensive coordinator Gregg Williams never has been shy about dialing up the blitz. But sometimes, the quarterback you’re blitzing can make a huge difference.

Take the case of Sunday’s victory against Chicago. According to ESPN Stats & Information, the Saints sent six or more pass rushers on 19 plays and allowed just 13 yards (0.7 yards per play). They sacked Jay Cutler five times in those situations, including a key sack/forced fumble by Turk McBride that helped break the game open.

In all, the Saints sent six or more rushers on 39.6 percent of Chicago’s drop-backs and Cutler completed only 38.5 percent of his passes against the blitz. He also averaged 4.9 yards per attempt.

That’s a striking difference from the season-opening loss at Green Bay, where the Saints sent six or more pass rushers on 29.7 percent of the drop-backs. But the key difference was that Aaron Rodgers completed 80 percent of his passes in those situations and averaged 12.5 yards per attempt.

Thoughts on the New Orleans Saints’ victory against the Chicago Bears at the Superdome.

What it means: The Saints are 1-1 after facing two NFC North powerhouses. That’s not a bad spot to be in, because the schedule appears to get easier going forward. No matter what happens with Atlanta’s game Sunday night, the Saints will at least be tied for first place in the division.

What I liked: Drew Brees and Sean Payton usually do a nice job of spreading the ball around among their receivers, tight ends and running backs. With No. 1 receiver Marques Colston out with an injury, that didn’t change anything. The Saints simply got guys like tight end Jimmy Graham and Adrian Arrington more involved and the offense didn’t miss a beat.

What else I liked: The defense got some redemption after a horrible performance in the opener against Green Bay. The Saints were very aggressive against the Bears. They didn’t completely shut them down, but they stopped some drives by a good offense. That’s all you have to do when you have Brees and the New Orleans offense.

Unsung hero: Defensive end Turk McBride might have made the play of the game when he had a sack and forced fumble midway through the third quarter. At that point, the Saints had a 16-13 lead, but Jonathan Vilma recovered the fumble and Brees and the offense quickly punched the ball in for a touchdown and took control of the game.

Upgrade of the year: Running back Darren Sproles is what Reggie Bush always was supposed to be. Sproles can do a little bit of everything and he does it all very well.

Good news on the horizon: Defensive end Will Smith was suspended for the first two games. He’s eligible to return in Week 3.

What’s next: The Saints host the Houston Texans next Sunday.

Join our ESPN.com NFL experts as they break down the match up between the Chicago Bears and the New Orleans Saints.

Contribute your thoughts and questions beginning at 1 p.m. ET. See you there.