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Sunday’s NFC South matchup between the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers in Charlotte was improbably a game that will have a dramatic impact on the division race, even if it didn’t appear either team truly understood the importance of the game and that first place in the division was possibly on the line.
The four teams in the NFC South had a total of 11 wins coming into Week 11, the fewest in the NFL. The New Orleans Saints (hosting the Cincinnati Bengals) were 4-5 going into Sunday’s game, but they led the NFC South entering Week 11. The Panthers (3-6-1) and Falcons (3-6) knew a win could possibly put them in first place in the NFC South and that a win would go a long way towards winning the division.
The Falcons needed the win more because they already trailed both the Saints and Panthers coming into Week 11, and they have the hardest remaining schedule of the three teams with a shot at winning the division. After their Week 11 matchup at Carolina, they play the Cleveland Browns, Arizona Cardinals, at Green Bay Packers, Pittsburgh Steelers, at New Orleans and the Panthers again in Week 17. The Panthers have a bye Week 12, but then they play at the Minnesota Vikings, at New Orleans, Tampa Buccaneers, Cleveland Browns and the Week 17 matchup at Atlanta. The Saints (probably the second hardest schedule going forward) play the Baltimore Ravens in Week 12, then at Pittsburgh, Carolina, at Chicago Bears, Atlanta and at Tampa Bay in Week 17.
The merit of a potentially sub .500 winning the NFC South and therefore making the playoffs can be debated, but that’s how the NFL playoffs are currently constructed. It was a much lower scoring game than should have been expected given the fact that both defenses are less than stellar this season. Both offenses struggled for much of the day, but Cam Newton and the Panthers’ offense had a tougher day than Matt Ryan and the Falcons, who seemed to play better when they went up-tempo.
They certainly didn’t play their best, but Atlanta made more plays on both offense and defense (intercepting Newton two times) and secured the win on the foot of Matt Bryant, who is as automatic as death and taxes (Panthers kicker Graham Gano missed what would have been the go-ahead field goal late in the fourth quarter and then had a 63-yarder blocked as time expired). The Panthers got a shot of life after Devin Hester got flagged for 15 yards for his role in a fight that broke out towards the end of third quarter and then fumbled the ball shortly thereafter.
With the Saints losing to the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Bengals on Sunday and the Falcons having beaten the Saints in Week 1, Atlanta is now somehow the leaders of the NFC South at 4-6.
Justin Patrick is a New England Patriots writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @calling_allfans, like him on Facebook and add him to your network on Google. You can also email him at [email protected]
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