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NFC South Notebook: Saints take control of division; Could Sims be the Bucs' new backfield star?

Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports / Reuters

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.

New Orleans Saints

Saints take control of division with win over Panthers. Defense played a big role in the Saints' 28-10 victory over the Panthers on Thursday night.

Ingram shoulders load. Injuries to Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson worked in running back Mark Ingram's favor.

Reason to believe. Thursday's win could just be the beginning for the 2014 Saints, writes Larry Holder of the New Orleans Times-Picayune.

Carolina Panthers

Cason benched in loss to Saints. Head coach Ron Rivera said cornerback Antoine Cason wasn't benched late in the first half of Thursday night's loss, but the snap counts tell a different story, writes David Newton of ESPN.com.

Status murky for Hardy. Reports about Panthers defensive end Greg Hardy having his trial postponed until after the season may not be entirely accurate.

Slow 40-yard dash helped Benjamin fall to Panthers. Rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin admitted this week that his sluggish 40-yard dash time at the NFL Scouting Combine was strategic (though a team source insists he was joking).

Atlanta Falcons

Ryan looking to regain chemistry with Jones. Matt Ryan and Julio Jones are determined to get the deep ball going again.

#SaveSmitty. A New Orleans radio station launched a #SaveSmitty campaign amidst talk of Mike Smith being on the hot seat in Atlanta.

Stone hopes to be rock solid. Coming off his first start for the Falcons, rookie center James Stone has big plans for the second half of the season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Could Sims be the Bucs' new backfield star? Third-round pick Charles Sims will be a big part of the Bucs' offensive attack moving forward, a team source told FOXSports.com.

Lovie Smith downplays trades. The Bucs' decision to trade safety Mark Barron to the St. Louis Rams left some wondering if the team was looking ahead to 2015, but head coach Lovie Smith insists that isn't the case.

A look at the Bucs' quiet free-agent class. The Bucs were one of the more active teams in free agency, but as Pat Yasinskas of ESPN.com explains, the majority of those moves haven't paid off just yet.

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