NFL: NFC South Prediction after Week 9

Back at the beginning of the season the NFC South looked like they might be one of the best divisions in all of football. After all, they have the mighty New Orleans Saints at the top fo the division. Then they also have the Atlanta Falcons who looked to be one of the best teams in the NFC after the first couple weeks. The Carolina Panthers were a very good team last year and it was hard to believe that they wouldn’t be good this year too. And the Tampa Bay Buccaneers hoped to be improved.

Well, things haven’t quite worked out for the NFC South. The Saints are a dominant team. But the Falcons look very vulnerable and the Panthers, a team that’s played a lot better of late, certainly don’t look like a playoff team. The Bucs are just plain an embarrassment.

The Saints have just about won this division already. They won’t have any problem winning it. The Falcons have a shot at making the playoffs but their hopes have to be dwindling with each week that passes. They are 5-4 and about to play the New York Giants. The winner of that game will have a decent shot at a Wild Card spot but the loser will pretty much be done.

The Panthers have an outside shot at still making the playoffs. However, at 4-6 they can’t afford any more slip-ups.

Realistically, we probably looking at only 1 team making the playoffs from the NFC South. But I wouldn’t completely count out the Falcons. They better win this week though. However, even with a win it might be tough for them to win enough games to earn a Wild Card spot.

So, the Saints will go to the playoffs and I fully expect them to have the #1 seed. And perhaps the Falcons can sneak in with the #6 seed. But we’ll know a lot more about their chances after Sunday’s game.