Atlanta Falcons game recap: WHICH WAY? YOUNGHOE!
By Joe Carlino
Well, that was a game for the Atlanta Falcons, wasn’t it?
Coming off that brutal loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in which Joe Burrow basically said he is HIM, the Falcons returned home to face the Carolina Panthers, who were coming off arguably the upset of the season in their 21-3 demolition of what used to be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers’ vaunted offense and defense. Because of this, and coupled with the Bucs’ loss to the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday night, suddenly the Falcons and Panthers were playing for something nobody, not even the most diehard of fans on either side, even considered entering the season:
First. Place. In. The. NFC South.
Yes, the division’s weak this year. Yes, the division is essentially what many thought the NFC East was going to be entering the season. However, there’s one thing that people don’t necessarily write about regarding the NFC South: for years, it was about Matt Ryan and Drew Brees, Julio Jones and Michael Thomas, Cameron Jordan and Gerald McCoy, but nobody really saw the main thing: these divisional games are always must watch spectacles.
It doesn’t matter where it’s being held when it’s being contested, or what’s on the line: there’s always something that will glue the fans to their television or streaming devices, which in turn helps generate revenue for the NFL. And in this contest between I-85 foes, their first in a 10-day window, the Falcons managed to get the best of Carolina, narrowly edging them out in overtime, 37-34.
The win not only moves Atlanta into an outright lead of first place in the division for the first time since 2016, but it also gives them their first divisional win of the season and improved their home record this season to 3-1.
Of course, in any football game, there are going to be some positive moments and some negative moments, so let’s look at both of those areas.