NFC South Week 4 review: The Falcons have finally hit bottom

Back in 2016, the Falcons made it to the Super Bowl. We all know how that ended up. They haven’t been quite right ever since and in fact they seem to be getting worse every season. In their Monday night loss to the Packers, Atlanta may have finally hit bottom.

Meanwhile, the Buccaneers maintained their lead at the top of the division. Here is a review of what happened around the NFC South in Week 4.

Buccaneers (3-1) beat Chargers (1-3), 38-30

Drew Brees had been the best quarterback in this division since he arrived in 2006. It took a 43-year old Tom Brady just four games to take his place. While he’s far past his prime and his arm strength is on the wane, Brady is still an all-time competitor and he proved it again this week. In Sunday’s victory over LA, Brady threw five touchdown passes (all to different receivers), leading the Bucs to a vintage kind of comeback win after falling behind 24-7 late in the second quarter.

There are and have always been better passers than Brady in the NFL. (Dan Marino, Peyton Manning, Brett Favre, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes to name a few), but much like a GOAT from a different sport, nobody has been able to match Brady’s will to win. Performances like this are why he will go down as the greatest ever.

Defensively this wasn’t a great showing for Tampa. However, it looks like rookie QB Justin Herbert is going to do this to a lot of teams. Perhaps Panthers general manager Marty Hurney’s predraft interest was justified. The Bucs visit the Bears on Thursday night.

Saints (2-2) beat Lions (1-3), 35-29

Brees led a comeback of his own this week, albeit against a less impressive opponent. Under Matt Patricia, these Lions have mastered the fine art of blowing double-digit leads. They ran up a 14-point one in the first quarter against New Orleans, only to give up 35 straight points. Brees was more aggressive than he has been so far this season, averaging 9.8 yards per pass attempt. He got help from Alvin Kamara and Latavius Murray, who combined for 147 rushing yards and three touchdowns.

On defense, the Saints held Adrian Peterson to 36 rushing yards on 11 carries. They gave up some big plays to Matt Stafford and his receivers, though. The Saints face the Chargers next.

Panthers (2-2) beat Cardinals (2-2), 31-21

While they’re not as bad as Detroit, this Cardinals team was every bit as messy on Sunday. The Panthers defense deserves some credit, but Kyler Murray was inaccurate and their playcalling was uneven for much of the first half, allowing Carolina to run up a significant halftime lead. Arizona’s failure to contain the edge on this Mike Davis 25-yard run in the first quarter was a perect example of their horrendous effort on defense.

Yes, the Panthers are better than we thought coming into the season and they have been competitive every week. They have also played two sloppy opponents in a row. Atlanta will make it three.

Falcons (0-4) lost to Packers (4-0), 30-16

Speaking of the Falcons, it’s hard to imagine things getting any worse for this team. It’s even harder to envision how they can climb out under the current coaching staff. Their defensive playcalling was atrocious once again against Green Bay. It’s the same soft zones and complete refusal to cover running backs that have plagued Dan Quinn’s squad since the fourth quarter of their Super Bowl loss four years ago.

Atlanta also likely lost defensive back Damontae Kazee for the season due to a “serious” Achilles injury and safeties Keanu Neal and Ricardo Allen were already on the sidelines. Tough breaks.

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