Atlanta Falcons atop the NFC, Saints and Bears runners up
Atlanta Falcons have edged ahead of the field in the NFC and with a 9-2 record; they are tied with New England Patriots and New York Jets in the league standings. Falcons are not likely to give up their position. Atlanta would face the Carolina Panthers
twice before the end of the season. Panthers are arguably the worst team in the league twice and the odds of them beating the Falcons are close to non-existent.
Falcons are also scheduled to go up against Seattle Seahawks in week 15. They are the favourites to win that game. Their only real challenge would be the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this Sunday and the New Orleans Saints in week 16. Atlanta are on a 5 games winning
streak which they are likely to continue in their next 3 games. Falcons would likely finish the season 13-3 or possibly even 14-2. They certainly could do it but it also depends on the New Orleans Saints.
The defending champions have been just a silhouette of the team they were last season. They have won 8 games and lost two. They have faced the Falcons once before in this season and came out on top in that game. Statistically, the Saints and Falcons are
evenly matched. New Orleans have a relatively stronger defence than the Falcons and on average have conceded almost a point less than Falcons per game. Offensively, Falcons have the edge with an average of 25.1 points per game compared to 24.1 the Saints have
been able to score. There are no clear favourites. For the Falcons, its smooth sailing from here onwards, the Saints have a much harder task ahead of them.
In the next two weeks, New Orleans would face Cincinnati Bengals and Saint Luis Rams, two competitions that Saints wouldn’t be particularly worried about. But then they face 8-3 Baltimore and 9-2 Atlanta. Those two games would set the stage for New Orleans'
final game against Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If the Saints are beaten by both Ravens and Falcons, it would all come down to the final pre-season game. Tampa Bay could defeat Washington, Detroit and Seattle but would probably be defeated by the Falcons.
In that event, by the last game the Saints and Buccaneers would be tied for second place in the NFC South with a record of 10-5. The final regular season game would then eliminate one team’s chances of making the playoffs.
Currently in second place in the NFC and leading their division with 8-3 are the Chicago Bears. They started off the season with a 3 game winning streak but then lost three games in quick succession against New York Giants, Seattle Seahawks and Washington
Redskins.
Bears have been a defensive team. Their offense had seen little success in the season but the strength of their defence has kept them afloat and more. Bears rank second in the league in terms of points allowed per game. They have the second best defence
against the all important rush. Rushing the pass is something they still need to work on but that hasn’t been too great of a problem for Chicago.
In their last game, Bears' offense showed that it wasn’t just an idle observer. Quarterback Jay Cutler threw 247 yards and 4 touchdown passes in that game to beat one of the signature franchises in the league. They are being challenged by the Green Bay Packers
for the top spot in the NFC North. Bears have a brutal schedule. Before their final regular season game against Green Bay, they would face the NFL leaders, New England Patriots and New York Giants. The NFC North title could boil down to the final game.
Tags: