The 2024 Atlanta Falcons season has been one giant rollercoaster ride.
Six weeks ago, the NFC South seemed like a foregone conclusion as Kirk Cousins and the Falcons offense flashed the potential to be one of the better units in the league. Then Atlanta lost four straight, headlined by Cousins’ dismal stretch of play, which ultimately led to him being benched in favor of the rookie Michael Penix Jr.
Penix led the Falcons to victory over the lowly Giants, but it was really the Bucs’ loss to the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football that made things interesting. The two teams are now tied atop the NFC South, with the Falcons owning the head-to-head tiebreaker.
Atlanta can conceivably clinch the division on Sunday night with a win over the Commanders. Tampa Bay is a heavy favorite over the Carolina Panthers, but Dave Canales has his team playing with some life down the stretch, and there’s nothing he’d love more than to get a win over his former team this weekend.
The Panthers are coming off a thrilling overtime win over the Arizona Cardinals, which broke a four-game losing streak. However, Carolina lost three of those games by just one possession, including an overtime loss to the Bucs.
The Panthers are a respectable 3-4 over their last seven games and have only lost one of those games by more than six points. They are giving everybody their best shot and have the opportunity to play spoiler in a divisional game that everybody expects them to lose. If they somehow pull out the victory, the Falcons will be playing on Sunday Night Football with an opportunity to clinch the NFC South.
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Photo: Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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