After the Falcons’ Week 1 loss to the Vikings, analysts were ready to bury them. A week later and it’s hard not to see Atlanta as the favorite in the NFC South when you take a look around the rest of the division.
The Saints’ NFC Championship rematch with the Rams was a letdown in more than one way. They lost quarterback Drew Brees with a thumb injury that will likely sideline him at least six weeks.
The Panthers, a team many had high hopes for this season, are 0-2 and their quarterback is off. Cam Newton has been inaccurate and unwilling to run. He’s also been dealing with a foot injury since Week 3 of the preseason. Since Carolina’s offense is built around his dual-threat ability, that makes it hard to move the chains.
The Buccaneers lost to the 49ers in Week 1, but defeated the Panthers last week. It’s too early to tell if they’re going to be any kind of real threat this year. Jameis Winston’s 69.2 quarterback rating doesn’t indicate the kind of progression many expected from him when Bruce Arians took over as head coach, but it has been only two games. He should be able to light up the Giants defense this week.
All of this leaves Matt Ryan and the Falcons in strong position to get ahead in the NFC South if they can take care of business. It’s true this team has struggled up front, both in run blocking and protecting Ryan, but there’s still a ton of potential offensively.
Defensively, the Falcons finally got some of those turnovers coach Dan Quinn has been dying for — with Desmond Trufant picking off Carson Wentz twice in Sunday night’s win. Atlanta’s defense is currently allowing an NFL-best 167 yards per game through the air.
The pressure is now on Dan Quinn and the Falcons to take control of the NFC South while Brees is out.
