Falcons: How the rest of the NFC South fared in Week 4

It was up to the Falcons to finish out a strong Week 4 for the NFC South. Of course, they couldn’t do it, losing on Monday night to Green Bay and falling even further behind in the division. 

Saints win over Lions

After a Drew Brees interception, the Lions had the Saints facing a 14-point deficit. However, in typical Detroit fashion, the Saints rallied and scored 35 unanswered points. The Lions tried to make it competitive, cutting the lead to six late but failed to regain possession of the ball at the end of the game. 

Latavius Murray and Alvin Kamara combined for nearly 150 yards on the ground and contributed three scores. Together, they each averaged 4.5 yards per carry. 

On the receiving end, the Saints had six players average over 10 yards per catch. Emmanuel Sanders and Tra’quin Smith attempted to fill the void of Michael Thomas, and they did a pretty good job, combining for 10 catches and 147 yards through the air. Smith also added two scores to his season total.

Despite some early success, the Lions offense was held in check for the vast majority of the game. The Saints eliminated their run game by holding Adrian Peterson to just 36 yards on 11 carries. They were also able to slow down Kenny Golladay, who had just 62 yards on the day. Only one other Lions player totaled over two catches.

Week 5 will see the Saints face off against the Chargers on Monday Night.

Buccaneers defeat the Chargers

Just like the Saints, the Bucs were forced to climb out of a double-digit deficit. Trailing 24-7, a fumbled handoff by the Chargers put the Buccaneers inside the five-yard line, giving Tampa Bay some life as they scored and went into the locker room down just ten. The Bucs then outscored Los Angeles 24-7 in the second half.

Brady did his best to spread the wealth amongst the Tampa pass catchers, throwing all five touchdowns to a different receiver. His top target, Mike Evans, ended the day with seven receptions for 122 yards and a score. In addition, Ronald Jones had a huge game on the ground, racking up 111 yards and averaging 5.5 yards per carry.

Tampa will play Chicago in Week 5 on Thursday Night Football.

Panthers upset Arizona

With Christian McCaffrey out of the lineup, the Panthers seemed destine to struggle against an up-and-coming Cardinals team. However, the exact opposite happened. Carolina is now 2-0 without McCaffrey and trending upwards after their upset win over the Cardinals.

Running back Mike Davis has proved to be a more than capable fill-in for McCaffrey as he went over 100 total yards and a score. Newcomer, Robby Anderson is also finding a groove with his new team. He finished the game as Carolina’s top target, racking up 99 yards on eight receptions.

On defense, the Panthers eliminated all facets of the Cardinals offense. Kyler Murray’s legs tallied 78 yards on 6 scrambles, but his 133 yards through the air was rather disappointing. DeAndre Hopkins was also held to a season-low 41 yards on seven receptions.

The Panthers will travel to Atlanta next Sunday as the Falcons attempt to win their first game of the season.

NFC South Standings going into Week 5

1. (3-1) Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. (2-2) New Orleans Saints
3. (2-2) Carolina Panthers
4. (0-4) Atlanta Falcons

The rest of the 2020 NFL season hangs in the balance of the Falcons Week 5 matchup against Carolina. A loss could finally result in the end of the Dan Quinn era in Atlanta.