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NFC South Notebook: Newton gets pulled for his safety, Brees credits suplex for inspiring win

Crystal LoGiudice / USA TODAY Sports

Every Monday and Friday, theScore's NFL editors will bring you a roundup of everything you need to know from around the division with the NFC South Notebook. 

Carolina Panthers

Newton pulled for his own safety. Cam Newton was replaced by backup Derek Anderson late in the Panthers' loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he wasn't benched for ineffectiveness. After the game, head coach Ron Rivera said he pulled Newton "because I was trying to protect him."

Front-seven struggles. The Panthers entered Sunday's game with the second-ranked rush defense in the NFL, but the unit had an off night. Both Le'Veon Bell and LeGarrette Blount topped 100 yards on the ground, making them the first pair of Steelers to hit the century mark since 1986.

Fashion faux-pas? Cam Newton wore capri pants and slippers to his post-game press conference Sunday night. Don't believe it? See for yourself

New Orleans Saints

Brees says suplex fired him up. Drew Brees was slammed to the turf by Minnesota Vikings cornerback Captain Munnerlyn on Sunday, and after the game Brees credited the play for firing him and his teammates up. Brees called the tackle, which drew an unnecessary roughness penalty, a "straight Hulk Hogan 1985 WrestleMania suplex."

Colston shows up on stat sheet. After being held catch-less in the Saints' Week 2 loss to the Cleveland Browns, receiver Marques Colston caught two passes for 25 yards, including an 18-yard touchdown, on Sunday. Colston still doesn't look like his old self, but perhaps he's slowly rounding back into form. 

Defense takes it back to basics. Defensive coordinator Rob Ryan simplified his defense in Week 3, using fewer checks and less complex blitz schemes. Safety Rafael Bush said the players embraced the change and worked harder to know this week's scheme "in and out and backwards and forwards."

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Future is now? With Josh McCown expected to miss several weeks with a thumb injury, second-year quarterback Mike Glennon will start behind center. Head coach Lovie Smith previously described Glennon as the quarterback of the future. Is it a win-win situation or will it result in a quarterback controversy?

Tampa 2 to blame? Is Lovie Smith's trademark Tampa 2 defensive scheme to blame for the Buccaneers' defensive struggles? Or are injuries to pass rushers Gerald McCoy and Michael Johnson the main culprit?

Former Bucs react on Twitter. A number of former Buccaneers players had some strong (and funny) reactions to the team's 56-14 drubbing on Thursday Night Football. 

Atlanta Falcons

Bridgewater up next. The well-rested Falcons will spend the week preparing to face new Minnesota Vikings starter Teddy Bridgewater. The Falcons were 2-2 when facing a rookie quarterback last season.

Hard Knocks outtakes. The Falcons uploaded some outtakes from HBO's Hard Knocks to their official website this week. The clip includes talk of wrestling alligators and introduces the world to the "wizard of Knoz."

Panthers have tiebreaker for now. The Falcons are tied with the Carolina Panthers atop the NFC South at 2-1, but the Panthers currently hold the strength of victory tiebreaker. Of course, there's still plenty of time for that to change. 

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