The NFC South is becoming less competitive with each passing week. On Sunday, New Orleans beat Atlanta to improve its record in division games to 5-0 this year. Another victory in the regular season finale against Carolina would make it a clean sweep.
Here’s a review of what went down around the division in Week 13.
Saints (10-2) beat Falcons (4-8), 21-16
The Saints have now won nine straight games. What should be most troubling to the rest of the league is that they’re winning ugly. Taysom Hill remains an extremely limited QB but he’s gone 3-0 during this stint with Drew Brees out. Put it another way, New Orleans keeps winning with an old-school formula: suffocating defense and a potent run game.
Both Hill and Alvin Kamara averaged 5.9 yards per carry against a Falcons defense that has made some tremendous strides since Dan Quinn’s exit. However, it just doesn’t seem to matter what their opponents do right now because the Saints have so much more firepower. This week’s defensive standouts included Demario Davis, Trey Hendrickson and David Onyemata. New Orleans now ranks No. 2 in defensive DVOA.
This is all hardly breaking news, though. The Saints have dominated the regular season the last four years and have had by far the most-talented roster in the NFC since the 2017 draft. Right or wrong, they will be judged on how far they go in the playoffs. Sunday’s win clinched a spot, though and right now it’s tough to see anybody outside of Kansas City beating this team. Philadelphia is next on their schedule.
Buccaneers (7-5) on bye
Two teams in the division were off this week. Tampa and Carolina were the last teams in the NFL this season without a bye. Next up, the Buccaneers will host the Vikings in a matchup with significant playoff implications.
Falcons (4-8) still have a window
While their record suggests things are trending in the wrong direction, these Falcons have a lot to be hopeful about. With Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley (who combined for 202 receiving yards yesterday) they have the top 1-2 punch at wide receiver in the NFL. They also have some young and underrated pieces on the other side of the ball.
The development of defensive end Jacob Tuioti-Mariner, linebacker Foye Oluokun and cornerback A.J. Terrell in particular have offered a lot of hope to build on. If Raheem Morris keeps his job (he’s earned it) and gets a better offensive coordinator, Atlanta could be back in the playoff race as soon as next year. As for Week 14, the Falcons will visit the Chargers.
Panthers (4-8) on bye
Carolina also had a bye week. The big story has been the pandemic, with multiple players having to be placed on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list. We know Yetur Gross-Matos and Bruce Hector are out. More names will be coming soon, as well. The Panthers will host the Broncos this week.
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