The NFC South: Football’s Worst Division

What has happened to these teams?

Their combined record is 9-20-1. Their combined road record is 2-12-1. Tampa Bay gives up the most yards of any team in the NFL. The Falcons are second. The Saints are fifth.

It feels like forever ago when Matt Ryan led the Falcon’s to the best regular season record in the NFC in 2010, only to lose to the eventual Super Bowl champion Green Bay Packers in the first round.  Or when the Saints won the big game in 2009. Or when the Carolina Panthers went 12-4 last year.   

The most disappointing of the bunch is undoubtedly the Atlanta Falcons. Finishing 4-12 last season, many picked them as a rebound candidate. After starting 2014 at 2-1, the Falcons have dropped 5 consecutive games. Matt Ryan and the Falcons used to be one of the scariest teams to play at home, but now opponents see Atlanta on the schedule and start to salivate.  And just when you thought they might save their season and beat Detroit in London, they choked and dropped a 21-point first half lead.  The Falcons can once again kiss their playoff hopes goodbye.  Okay, so it’s just that Atlanta is really bad, you say.  Maybe the rest of the division isn’t so bad.  Well my friend, you should know that Atlanta’s only 2 wins were in the division.

And don’t even get me started on Tampa Bay. They are going to be the NFL’s new Raiders and Jaguars. This team has no quarterback and a baaaaad defense. Doug Martin teased everyone years ago and now no one believes in his ability. Not to mention the Vincent Jackson trade rumors. This says it all.

When the playoffs roll around, it’s expected that you are going to see Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, and Drew Brees, but the latter is in serious jeopardy at the moment. The Saints can’t stop anybody on defense and are 0-4 on the road.

Drew Brees is fourth in the NFL in passing yards, but too many times
this year he has watched his defense lose games for his team.

If Carolina’s offense can finally start to click, the Saints are in serious trouble. They have had terrible injuries to their running backs and lack offensive firepower. The Panthers' lack of talent at receiver has been a concern since the offseason. No one is surprised at their struggles.

Cam Newton is completing on 60.1% of his passes this season.

This Thursday night matchup is a HUGE game for these two teams.  The winner could very well be a 7-9 playoff club.