The Falcoholic
Atlanta can’t rest on its laurels coming out of the bye, not with the Buccaneers in striking distance and the Saints and Panthers finally winning.
Half the division was on a bye, and the other half extended their streaks, both good and bad. It hasn’t been a pretty season for the division, but this isn’t a beauty pageant.
Someone has to win this division, and the early favorites have started to stumble. Here’s the Week 11 NFC South Review.
Week 11 Result: Bye Week
Week 12 Opponent: New York Giants
The Buccaneers were on a much-needed bye week during Week 11. The team has been dealing with a laundry list of injuries and needed extra rest. Lucky for them, they were able to gain ground in the division with another Atlanta loss.
Tampa Bay still needs the dirty birds to trip up a few more times, but their race for the division crown is tighter than it was a few weeks ago. Tampa Bay will face off against a New York Giants team that will be starting Tommy DeVito for the first time this season.
Week 11 Result: Saints 35 - Browns 14
Week 12 Opponent: Bye Week
The Saints won back-to-back games for the first time this season since Weeks 1-2. The Jamies Winston revenge game was shut down, and New Orleans is starting to look like a real football team again. The squad is now tied with Tampa Bay with four wins, but their three division losses have them stuck in third for the time being.
New Orleans needs Tampa to lose two more division games if they want to have a chance at making some noise in the South. The Saints will spend Week 12 on a bye. The team has looked much more competent in recent weeks, and the added rest could make them a pesky spoiler for teams down the road.
Week 11 Result: Bye Week
Week 12 Opponent: Kansas City Chiefs
The Panthers spent Week 11 on a bye after producing a two-game win streak. Carolina isn’t a threat to win the division, but that was the assumption from the offseason. I don’t envy any team that has to play the Chiefs after a loss, and unfortunately for Carolina, they drew the short stick.
The Panthers players have shown they’re willing to fight until the final whistle, so they won’t go down without a fight. Beating the Chiefs in Charlotte would sure be something, and it’s the only way Carolina can keep their extremely faint postseason hopes alive.
Week 11 Result: Falcons 6 - Broncos 38
Week 12 Opponent: Bye Week
The Falcons wanted no part of the Denver Broncos in this thrashing. Atlanta lost back-to-back games for the first time this season, and their once-promising lead in the division continues to shrink. To be fair to the Falcons, they came into the game with nine...
