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At one time, the NFC South was a division dominated by the New Orleans Saints. Also, it was tough betting against the duo of Sean Payton and Drew Brees. Then, the Carolina Panthers ran the division with a Quarterback named Cam Newton. He won an MVP and led them to their second Super Bowl in franchise history where they fell short to the Denver Broncos. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have become relevant once again as they won a Super Bowl with Tom Brady and also won two division titles with him and they won a third with Baker Mayfield at the helm. What about the Atlanta Falcons? They’ve been the laughingstock of the league since 2017 after notoriously blowing a 25-point lead in the Super Bowl. Anytime a football fan mentions 28-3, you automatically know what they’re talking about. After an active off-season and coaching change, the Falcons sit at 6-3 and atop the NFC South. Just how have they done it?
Arthur Smith was holding this team back and I saw it in their efforts, especially last season. When a player wants to play for a coach, you’ll see it in his efforts and how they leave everything on the field. Now, look at how they play for Raheem Morris! They’re having fun and largely because they are winning. That will be the cure for everything in this sport when you can win. Kirk Cousins is still a good Quarterback. I know he isn’t at that elite table with the best of today, but he knows his role and has this offense humming. It isn’t just one guy that takes over as Kirk spreads the football around and gets it to the open guy. The Falcons have a three-headed monster at receiver in Darnell Mooney, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts. Kirk is also a leader and the entire offense has followed him. In the running game, they have a nice duo in Bijan Robinson and Tyler Allgeier. They’re able to speed the game up with the pass or they can slow down and make it ugly with the running game. If Arthur is still coaching this team, they’re the same flat offense we’ve seen for years.
When Raheem Morris was hired as the Head Coach, I knew the defense would be retooled considering his background throughout the league as a Defensive Coordinator. The Falcons were able to sign Jessie Bates in the off-season which has turned out to be a win for them and they acquired Matthew Judon from the New England Patriots during the Summer. It hasn’t been just those two names I listed. Justin Simmons has contributed to their success and A.J. Terrell has also been strong this year. This Atlanta defense plays so well collectively as a unit and it isn’t just one guy. They all feed off each other’s energies surrounding one another. When I saw Raheem get the job, I immediately said watch for this defense, and look where they are now. Just yesterday against the Dallas Cowboys, they sacked Dan Prescott three times.
Right now, the NFC South is theirs for the taking. The Saints looked to be building something earlier in the year and have now lost seven games in a row and they just fired Dennis Allen today! The Buccaneers are injured as we speak with Chris Godwin done for the season after dislocating his ankle against the Baltimore Ravens a few weeks ago on a Monday night and Mike Evans is also hurt which is a huge loss for them. If those two I listed were healthy, this division would be a two-team race between the Falcons and Bucs, then, the Carolina Panthers… Well, they are the Carolina Panthers and are still one of the owners in the basement of the NFC South. The Falcons should breeze to a division title for the first time since 2016. Raheem deserves some love for Coach of the Year.
