In NFL history, there have been three teams that have won a division title on a losing record. The Washington Commanders in 2020 were the last to do so.
Maybe the Tampa Bay Buccaneers will get over .500 by the end of the season. They’re probably the only team that can save the NFC South from being the fourth division to never produce a winning team.
The Atlanta Falcons took first place in the NFC South Thursday night. Anyone who watched Thursday night’s game against the Carolina Panthers wouldn’t mistake the Falcons for a future division champion. But it’s the NFC South 2022, and the Falcons will be in the running for at least a few more weeks simply because no one else has shown they can stand out from the crowd.
The Panthers beat the Falcons 25-15 in a rainy, ugly game Thursday night. Neither offense did much. Falcons quarterback Marcus Mariota had a brutal night. Atlanta had a chance of a tie after the offense showed some signs of life and scored a goal, getting the ball back with less than three minutes to go. Mariota took a bad sack on the second down and the Falcons quietly turned it on downs with another sack on the fourth down. The Falcons fall to 4-6, a half game behind the 4-5 Buccaneers.
The Panthers are bad, but they were way better than the Falcons on Thursday night.
An ugly, low-scoring competition
When fans tuned in Thursday night to see the pouring rain in Charlotte, they had to know what was in store.
Both teams struggled to move the ball. The Panthers found some local success.
In the second quarter, the Panthers had a perfectly timed play call against the Falcons Blitz. The Falcons blitzed from Panthers quarterback PJ Walker left, he threw a back pass to Laviska Shenault, and Shenault just had to get through his blockers and go down the touchline for a 41-yard touchdown.
At halftime, the Panthers had 159 yards. Walker only had 38 yards of pass. On the other hand, the Falcons had 96 total yards. The second half was more of a replay. The Panthers could let it slide for a bit. D’Onta Foreman had 130 yards on 31 carries. The Falcons couldn’t do much.
The story goes on
Towards the end of the first half, the Falcons went into the red zone. They were 13-0 down. It was clear that they would not have many chances to score. With 21 seconds left, the Falcons threw a two-yard pass to Cordarrelle Patterson and ticked down the clock for a field goal. It really didn’t make much sense. But it’s not like the Falcons’ offense would make a game anyway.
The Panthers are bad enough that they’ve already fired their coach this season. The Falcons are theoretically a little better, but you wouldn’t have known it on Thursday night. All the Buccaneers have to do is not trip over themselves to win the NFC South. But if you watch the Bucs play this season, you know there’s no guarantee they can even break that low bar.
Carolina Panthers wide receiver Laviska Shenault Jr. runs past Atlanta Falcons linebacker Troy Andersen for a touchdown. (AP Photo/Rusty Jones)
Falcons fall behind Buccaneers
The Falcons played hard earlier this season and picked up a few wins, but they’re limited. They generally act like the forward pass should be banned, presumably because they don’t trust Mariota.
Mariota has been a safe, low-volume passer for most of this season. On Thursday evening he made several wrong decisions. A wild interception in the second quarter led to a Panthers field goal. Atlanta’s offense stuck all night, and that caused Mariota to push even harder. He attempted to throw a pass off his butt onto a sack and he was intercepted, but Mariota was saved from being on the highlight reels forever because he was shut out before throwing. His whole night was terrible, and not everything can be blamed on the rain. The way the Falcons try to hide Mariota makes it clear he’s not their quarterback of the future, and it also makes it pretty difficult to win in the present.
The New Orleans Saints are 3-6 and they could still get hot, but that seems unlikely. The Panthers are likely to get even less hot, despite playing better for interim coach Steve Wilks. The NFC South is likely coming to the Falcons or Buccaneers. About halfway through the season, the Buccaneers have good defense and the Blinds are hoping their offense will turn things around with all these star names. Atlanta’s chance to steal an unlikely division title dwindles as we see their weaknesses exposed.
The NFC South winner will host a playoff game. But none of the four teams look like they deserve it.