Rest of the NFC South stumbles as Atlanta Falcons momentum continues to build

What a week it has been for Atlanta Falcons fans starting with Thursday night's win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 36-20 to take first place in the NFC South. A historic night for more than one reason with the most important being Matt Ryan's induction into the Atlanta Falcons Ring of Honor.

Kirk Cousins came alive (he's been playing well since week 1, but this game he really took it to another level) with 509 passing yards and four passing touchdowns. His 509 yards were not only the most by any QB this year but the most since 2021. It marked only the third 500-yard passing game of this decade.

The 36 points scored by the Falcons was the most they've scored in a game since 2022.

Not only did Cousins have a big game but so did Drake London. He had a career-high in catches with 12, had his second-most yards with 154, and had a touchdown to boot. He also caught a crucial slant to set up the game-tying field goal along with two huge catches in OT, one to move the sticks on third down.

Mooney also played well, his first touchdown an incredible catch in double coverage. The former Chicago Bear added 105 yards and two touchdowns, and although he did have a costly drop he contributed a lot.

Kyle Pitts had a huge bounce-back game with seven catches for 88 yards. This was the most yards he's had in a game since his rookie season, and he had some big catches to move the chains.

Ray-Ray McCloud had a solid game with 66 yards and KhaDarel Hodge added 67 yards and the walk-off touchdown. All in all a great game by the Falcons and a masterclass by Zac Robinson. Making matters even better was the fact the Panthers and Saints both lost in Week 5 by double digits.

The Panthers game was simply not close at all. The Panthers struck first taking a 7-0 lead, and then after that it all went downhill. Caleb Williams had the best game of his very young career with 304 yards and two touchdowns.

Chuba Hubbard was the lone star of the Panthers on an ugly ugly afternoon. No one else could manage any support on a struggling Carolina roster.

The Saints did not get blown out on the scoreboard, but for anyone watching the game, it was pure domination. The Chiefs got into the red zone on seven of their nine drives and only had one punt all game. They had 460 yards of total offense (more than double the Saints 220) and averaged 5.8 yards per play.

A missed field goal, and a tipped interception on what should have been a sure touchdown took 10 points off the board for the Chiefs.

At least the Saints won their week 2 Super Bowl against Dallas. Since then they haven't won a game (losing three straight) and haven't scored more than 24 points with two of the three games being less than 14 points. Suffice it to say a great week for Falcons fans.