ATL All Day
Fansided

Atlanta Falcons: Best Team in NFC South?

By Jonathan Savitske

facebooktwitterreddit

The Atlanta Falcons are now 2-0 under new Head Coach Dan Quinn after a victory on Sunday at MetLife Stadium against the New York Football Giants.

The Dirty Birds now have two consecutive victories against NFC East opponents, and both wins came after overcoming a fourth quarter deficit in both games against the Philadelphia Eagles and the Giants. Coming off a Monday night game against Philadelphia and on a short week, the Atlanta Falcons left the Meadowlands with a victory in a usual house of horrors for the club.

-= Related: Tevin Coleman to Miss Time with Fractured Rib =-

Matt Ryan played well on Sunday, throwing for 363 yards and a touchdown. Julio Jones was the clear star and was nigh uncoverable, having 13 catches and 135 yards against the G-Men. The defense played well when it had — especially in the fourth quarter. The oft maligned Kroy Biermann came up with a critical fumble recovery to jump-start the Atlanta Falcons rally. 

More from ATL All Day

The Atlanta Falcons have been incredibly tenacious during this first two weeks in their come from behind victories — something that has been missing over the course of the last two seasons. The defense has not given up, and Kyle Shanahan’s zone blocking scheme has enabled the offensive line to be more effective and has reinvigorated the run game.

With the Atlanta Falcons firing on both offense and defense right now, are they the best team in the NFC South? No disrespect to the Carolina Panthers, but I believe the Falcons are the team to beat in the division currently.

Carolina is 2-0 after a home victory over the Houston Texans this past Sunday. Cam Newton went 18-37 with only 195 yards; but his decreased level in production through the air was to be expected following the season ending injury to Kelvin Benjamin during the preseason.

Sep 20, 2015; East Rutherford, NJ, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) catches a pass while being defended by New York Giants cornerback Prince Amukamara (20) during the first half at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Ed Mulholland-USA TODAY Sports

The Panthers’ lack of weapons on the offensive side of the ball is where I think the Atlanta Falcons are clearly better. Of course, the Carolina defense is top caliber squad; but I believe that in Dan Quinn’s new system, the Falcons are a better all around team.

The New Orleans Saints are now 0-2, and Drew Brees may miss a significant amount of the season due to injury. With an aging Marques Colston, no Jimmy Graham, a mediocre at best defense and no Brees, the Saints may end up in the cellar of the division.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers had a horrible opener against the Titans in Week 1, but in Week 2 against the Saints, rookie QB Jameis Winston gave fans a glimpse of his potential in the victory at New Orleans. Lovie Smith has done a good job developing his team so far during his tenure, but I believe the Bucs are still a couple of years away from being anything more than a pest in the division. 

More from Atlanta Falcons

The NFC South race will come down to the Atlanta Falcons and the Carolina Panthers — and I believe the Falcons are the more well-rounded team. Matt Ryan is more efficient game manager than Newton, and has more weapons on offense. The Carolina defense is better than the Atlanta Falcons, but with Dan Quinn at the helm, the disparity between both defenses has closed significantly.

It’s still early, and there’s a long way to go, but the Atlanta Falcons look poised to return to the postseason after a 2 year absence. Only time will tell if they can continue their early season success, but this much is clear: the Atlanta Falcons are a completely different team than they were this time last year. They don’t roll over when faced with adversity, and learn from their mistakes. What a difference a season makes. Rise Up!

Next: Desmond Trufant: The NFL's Next Great Shutdown Corner?

More from ATL All Day

Home/Atlanta Falcons