Atlanta Falcons with a chance to end Carolina's season in Week 6

Ending anyone's season in Week 6 might at first glance seem a bit premature but that is the exact spot the Atlanta Falcons find themselves in. After the recent quarterback news for New Orleans, it is easy to set Atlanta's hated rival aside as out of the division race. This leaves Tampa and Atlanta competing for the NFC South as the Carolina Panthers have fallen to 1-4 in the season and look nothing close to competitive.

Atlanta has a chance to go into Carolina and end a season for a reeling Panthers roster. Already the odds are against the team coming back from a 1-4 start adding one more loss to that would be the final straw ensuring Carolina remains in the basement and already begins turning their attention to the offseason.

A loss at home to the Atlanta Falcons would be the end of hopes Carolina's season could turn around

After the Falcons the Panthers will go on the road to play the Commanders and Broncos before returning home to host the Saints. It is hard to see the Panthers being competitive much less winning any of these three games.

Sunday's with Atlanta playing Carolina and Tampa facing New Orleans is an early chance to establish this is a two team race. After an early surge from the Saints and a surprise upset win from Carolina, the structure of the division was somewhat in question.

This week offers a chance to establish what was expected for the latter half of the offseason. The Falcons sitting in control of the NFC South with Tampa looking up as the only capable challenger.

For Atlanta, it is the chance to start divisional play 3-0 giving the team a huge advantage holding the tiebreaker. A young Atlanta roster with a rookie head coach not used to winning there should be zero chance this becomes a trap game for a roster that has given every reason to believe they will break the team's long postseason drought.