The Falcons own a commanding lead in the NFC South, with a perfect 4-0 mark as the club prepares to travel to New Orleans to take on the lowly Saints, who just fired Dennis Allen and traded Marshon Lattimore.
It’s as hate-filled a rivalry as you’ll find in the NFL today, so the Falcons shouldn’t take it lightly. The Saints and their fans will be rejuvenated and present a unique challenge this Sunday, but the NFL media panel isn’t convinced that Raheem Morris’ team is in danger of losing control of the division.
More than two dozen analysts went through each division and predicted the winners before Week 10, and every single one of them (listed below) chose the Falcons.
Participating analysts: Keegan Abdoo, Jack Andrade, Michael Baca, Judy Battista, Ali Bhanpuri, Tom Blair, David Carr, Brooke Cersosimo, Jeffri Chadiha, Eric Edholm, Gennaro Filice, Michael F. Florio, Christian Gonzales, Grant Gordon, Marcas Grant, Maurice Jones-Drew, Dante Koplowitz-Fleming, Bobby Kownack, Michelle Magdziuk, Steve Mariucci, Matt Okada, Dan Parr, Kevin Patra, Chad Reuter, Marc Ross, Nick Shook, Lance Zierlein.
The Falcons have so far followed through with our analysts’ preseason expectations, reaching the halfway mark with a clear edge in the South. They hold a two-game lead over the second-placed Bucs, with the head-to-head tiebreaker already locked in, as well as a perfect 4-0 mark in the division. Their spot at the top, though firm, hasn’t come easy. Seven of Atlanta’s nine games have been decided by one score, and half of their wins have required a fourth-quarter comeback. And while they have the sixth easiest SOS remaining (.443), they also hit the road for five of their final eight games — including trips to Denver, Minnesota and Washington.
The Falcons sit in the driver’s seat of the NFC South with their best start since the 2016 Super Bowl run. There’s no reason not to believe they’ll continue this dominance in the division, with a 2-0 lead over the Buccaneers, a reeling Saints team looming in Week 10, and the lowly Panthers to end the season. It would take a combination of a Falcons collapse and an unbelievable run from the Bucs.
The Bucs’ chances of overtaking Atlanta in the South are unquestionably slim, but their second-half schedule creates a narrow opening for a playoff run: five of their final seven games are against teams currently sporting 2-7 records. In fact, after their Week 11 bye (which is when they hope to get Mike Evans back), the Bucs have the easiest remaining schedule in the league (.295).
Tampa Bay going on a run isn’t out of the question. Getting Mike Evans back and the weak schedule should certainly enable them to do so, especially if we are just talking about a Wild Card berth. However, chasing down the Falcons is almost unimaginable.
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Cliff Welch/Icon Sportswire
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