Carolina Panthers clear in the NFC South, but can the Atlanta Falcons strike back?
In the NFC there is the Carolina Panthers and then everybody else. While the Atlanta Falcons sat out on a much-needed bye, the NFC South played out an important week. Let’s recap Week 10 then take a look forward at this week’s games.
Panthers top Titans, remain undefeated
As expected, the Panthers maintained their perfect record with a comfortable road victory over the Tennessee Titans. The defense held rookie Marcus Mariota in check, while Cam Newton scored two touchdowns, one in the air and the other on the ground.
At 9-0 the division looks all but wrapped up, and you can probably throw in the NFC’s top seed too. But there is still a lot of football to be played, and Carolina does play four of its final seven games on the road. To have any chance of winning the division, Atlanta will need to beat them both times.
Buccaneers beat Romo-less Cowboys in close one
All of a sudden, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 4-5 and two games off a wild-card spot. This comes after a gritty 10-6 victory over the Tony Romo-less Dallas Cowboys. It was a poor performance offensively, but Jameis Winston was able to run in the winning touchdown when it mattered.
Realistically, the Buccaneers aren’t consistent enough to make the playoffs, but they are finding a way to get it done.
Saints slip up again, blown out in Washington
It’s been a roller coaster ride for the New Orleans Saints this season. After losing three of their first four games, the Saints bounced back with three straight wins and the hope of a wild-card berth. But two straight losses has derailed their season and seemingly ended any hopes of a postseason push.
This time it was at the hands of Washington, who cruised to a 47-14 victory. That’s how bad this Saints defense is; it allowed 47 points to Washington.
Looking ahead to Week 11
The Panthers have a chance to take the win column into double digits and further solidify their grip atop the NFC. To do so, they will need to take down the team that blew out the Saints in the Washington Redskins.
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While a first-round bye is on the agenda for Carolina, simply making the playoffs would be enough for Atlanta, who host the Andrew Luck-less Colts in a bid to get the season back on track. Three defeats in the last four left the Falcons reeling at the bye, but the week off could be exactly what the team needed. Four wins from the final seven games could be enough, and it starts with a huge home contest.
If the Buccaneers are serious about playoffs, they will need to step up in a two-game road stretch, starting with the Philadelphia Eagles. A win here and people may start to take the Bucs seriously. The Saints are on bye at the latest possible date.
State of the NFC South
It’s going to take a lot for the Panthers to not win the NFC South. The Falcons would need to beat them in both meetings in December, and hope Carolina loses one game less than Atlanta outside of that. That appears to be highly unlikely.
But Atlanta shouldn’t worry about winning the division, just on winning football games. If they win four more games, just see what happens. That would likely be enough for a wild-carth berth. Just win games and let the playoff picture figure itself out.