The Falcons came into the season with many believing they were the favorites to win the NFC South, a feat they have not accomplished since 2016. With Kirk Cousins, that seemed probable. I mean, a Desmond Ridder-led Falcons team split with the Buccaneers and Saints last year.
After Week 1, it seems Atlanta is no longer in pole position, with Tampa Bay and New Orleans impressing in their respective openers. The three-time reigning division champions beat Washington 37-20, while the Saints dropped 47 points on the Panthers.
The Falcons looked competent in the first half, with their offense showing flashes, but Zac Robinson didn’t change his tendencies whatsoever. The Steelers, led by T.J. Watt, picked up on what Atlanta was doing and limited the Falcons offense to essentially zero production in the second half.
Even though the new-look defense held Justin Fields and Arthur Smith to no touchdowns, the Steelers offense did enough in several big moments to give themselves a chance to win. It was a quintessential Mike Tomlin, Steelers victory.
Meanwhile, the other offenses in the division looked great, especially the Saints. New Orleans replaced Pete Carmichael with Klint Kubiak, and it couldn’t have gone better in his debut. The biggest concern was their offensive line, and they looked great. Dennis Allen’s defense has always been a force to be reckoned with, and they gave Bryce Young all he could handle.
Granted, the Panthers aren’t exactly stiff competition, especially their defense. Carolina had a respectable unit last year, but they moved on from Frankie Luvu and Brian Burns this offseason, and they lost Derrick Brown during the game. The Saints will have a much different task this week against the Cowboys.
The Bucs looked good with their new offensive coordinator too, but they watched more than a handful of players go down with injuries, including Bryce Hall and Antoine Winfield. Tampa draws the Detroit Lions in Week 2, so there are a lot of things to learn about the entire NFC South this week.
The Falcons will play the Eagles in primetime. The Saints will be in the national spotlight against America’s Team, and the Bucs will square off with a team that was one win away from the Super Bowl.
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Rich von Biberstein/Icon Sportswire
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