Will the NFC South Picture Be Determined at the Final Game of the Season?
Last season, we saw the NFC South Division Champion be decided during Week 17, the final week of the NFL regular season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers claiming the division at 9-8, ahead of the 9-8 New Orleans Saints, 7-10 Atlanta Falcons, and 2-15 Carolina Panthers. With the way this season is shaping up to be, the NFC South’s leader may very well be determined again during the final game of the season. Currently, both the Buccaneers and the Falcons are tied with a 4-2 record, while the Saints sit in third at 2-5 and the Panthers 1-5. New Orleans has struggled over the past few weeks after starting strong, but they could come back to shake up the division and make the second half of the season extremely interesting. Even the Bucs and Falcons could deal with some mid-season struggles that would push back their chances at a division title. Anything could happen, but knowing how tight-knit this division is, two or three of the NFC South teams may be fighting until Week 17 for a clear-cut playoff position.
Atlanta has dealt with some extreme luck over their first few games. Four out of their six games were determined by seven points or less. Usually with a Kirk Cousins-led team, we tend to see games come down to one last play as just look at the 2022 Minnesota Vikings when most of their wins came by a touchdown or less. This luck isn’t going to stick forever, while the Falcons crushed Carolina 38-20 last week, they need to know against better competition, if they have what it takes, and not skid by. Tampa Bay has shown their a much better football team than last season and could prove many doubters wrong by making another playoff run. Last week, the Bucs dropped 51 points against their division rival New Orleans Saints. Two weeks before, they proved many doubters wrong when they defeated the Philadelphia Eagles 33-16 in an NFC Wild Card rematch. Finally, the Saints started the season off 2-0, but have lost the last five games, pushing themselves further away from the playoff hunt. Two of their losses came by three points or less, it just seems like in the big moments, New Orleans can’t hold it together.
Anything could happen, injuries, losing streaks, unannounced firings, or trades. These factors could make the NFC South one of the closest divisions in football this season. The Falcons will try to extend their winning streak to four games when they head to Seattle for a matchup against the Seahawks, while the Buccaneers will play on Monday against a Baltimore Ravens team very determined to get back on the right track and configure Super Bowl aspirations. The following week both Atlanta and Tampa Bay will face off, this matchup may determine who’s going to lead the charge within the division. It will certainly be entertaining how this division’s standings play out, and if we’ll have any implications that factor into these team’s playoff hopes.
