Will Three Teams From the NFC South Make the Playoffs?

This week’s Fan Article of the Week has to do with the NFC South, who has been dominating the NFL this year. In the competitive NFC, this division has a good chance of getting three teams into the playoffs. We will discuss if all three teams will make it or if one of the teams will miss out.

Panthers and Saints

The Panthers and the Saints post-Week 16 have both clinched the playoffs. These teams have both made it, and even if they both lose this week, they will be able to continue their seasons in the playoffs, however neither team is ready to quit as the division title and home field is still up for grabs.

Falcons 

The Falcons are in a two way battle for the last playoff spot with the Seattle Seahawks. Both of these teams are 9-6 and need huge games if they want to advance. If the Falcons win in week 17 they are in, regardless of the Seahawks outcome. However, if the Falcons lose, then they would need a loss from the Seahawks in order to make the postseason. The Seahawks have the easier matchup, as they are playing the 7-8 injury riddled Cardinals, and I expect them to win this game. On the other hand, the Falcons have to face their division rivals in the 11-4 Panthers, who are still trying to win the division. The Panthers barely squeaked out a win versus a struggling Buccaneers team, however this Panthers team doesn’t have 11 wins for no reason. The Falcons are going to have to have a huge game, especially on the offensive side of the ball if they are going to want to win. Matt Ryan has arguably the best trio of receivers at his disposal with his favorite target Julio Jones primed for a big day. Julio Jones will show up there’s no question about that, as he came up with big game after big game last year in clutch moments. Even though the Falcons gave up a huge lead and lost the Super Bowl, Julio was there making big plays and putting his team on his back.

If the Falcons want to win they need more than just Julio. Mohamed Sanu has been a solid number 2 all season, however he was held to only 31 yards against the Saints last week and 23 yards against the Buccaneers the week before. They need more than that from him and when it comes to the redzone and Julio is doubled, Sanu needs to win his one on one matchup and come down with the huge touchdown grabs we’ve seen from him many times this season. Additionally, the two headed backfield in Freeman and Coleman need to be better than they were versus the Saints. Both of these guys have taken over games in the past and are threats in the passing game and in the run game. One of these guys need to show up if not both if this team wants to jump start their offense. The defense could be key in forcing a bad game out of Cam, however, this team’s real strong point is its offense, and if it wants to win the game the offense will need to play well.

For a final remark, I do think the Falcons will make the playoffs. I fully expect Russell Wilson and the Seahawks to take care of the Cardinals in Week 17, however I think the Falcons will win and spoil Seattle’s playoffs hopes. I think the backs combine for close to 200 total yards and Julio goes off for 150, leading the Falcons to a jump start into the 2017 NFL playoffs.

Written by Casey Spilka