NFC South Review: Week 8
The NFC South is beginning to look a little murkier after week 8. The Panthers still sit atop the division at 7-0, and are one of 4 undefeated teams. However, the Saints won an exciting shootout, and the Falcons lost to the Bucs. So, the second spot, which will probably end up being one of the wildcards, is now up for grabs. The Falcons command a 2 game lead, but aren’t playing too well, making them look a bit vulnerable.
Indianapolis Colts at Carolina Panthers: 26-29
The Panthers continued their good play, winning an exciting overtime game over the Colts.
The Panthers dominated this game for 3 ½ quarters. However, they let a 17 point lead slip away, and had to win in overtime. The late slip was concerning, but Luck has had many late game rallies, so I wouldn’t be overly concerned about it. The Panthers were able to play well in overtime, holding the Colts to a field goal. Then Harper tipped Luck’s pass to Kuechly to set up the game winning field goal for the Panthers. What’s more troubling than the late slip is the continued struggle of Panthers wide receivers. Ted Ginn dropped an easy deep touchdown that would’ve ended the game. Cam’s completion percentage clearly struggles, because of this issue. He completed 16 of 35 passes for 248 yards, 2 touchdowns and 1 interception. Those are still solid numbers, especially considering the weather, but might not be good enough to go deep into the playoffs. It won’t be too big of an issue as long as the run game and defense keep up their stellar work. Jonathan Stewart played well enough, but the running game really revolves around Cam, just like the entire offense. He had 10 runs for 41 yards, fighting to get tough yards like no other quarterback can. Kuechly continues to play great, leading the team with 14 total tackles and an interception.
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The Panthers continue to look like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. They haven’t had the toughest schedule, but have beat some decent teams. We should have a true idea of who they are after they face the Packers this week. They don’t need to get a win, but should stay competitive. If they don’t, they’ll need to work on getting a better pass rush, and a little more from their offense.
Fantasy Implications – The Panthers don’t have a ton of offensive weapons. Cam continues to put up nearly the same numbers each week. I’d be wary of starting him against the Packers. They will probably come out angry, and have a good defense. However, if they get down early, it could benefit Cam and the offense in general. Ted Ginn could be an explosive fantasy option if he could catch the ball. However, that’s been the story of his career, and it’s probably not going to change. He’s still a flex option. Olsen is back to his old self, and is a top tier tight end. Jonathan Stewart isn’t dynamic, but he gets plenty of opportunities and is a physical runner. Nobody else on the offense is worth considering.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Atlanta Falcons: 23-20
This was another sloppy game in the NFC South. It seemed like neither team wanted to win. But, eventually somebody had to and the Bucs managed to come out on top in overtime.
Julio was stripped of the ball on a big play, which kind of summed up the day for the Falcons. They put up 496 yards compared to the Bucs 290, but turned the ball over 4 times. The Falcons hung in there though. After The Bucs jumped out to a 20-3 lead, the Falcons put up 17 unanswered points, tying the game late in the 4th quarter. They might not have been able to score had Lovie Smith not decided to go for it, and failed, on 4th and 1 on their own 40 with a little more than 2 minutes to go. However, Winston led the Bucs to a field goal on the opening drive of overtime, and the Falcons couldn’t respond. They failed to even make it to midfield, ending the game.
The Falcons continued their poor play, but still had a chance to win. The good news is that their biggest problem was turnovers, and that isn’t likely to become a trend. I doubt the Falcons lose 3 fumbles in a game the rest of the season. And their offense was actually more explosive than it has been, but they just couldn’t hold onto the ball. Devonta Freeman cooled off a bit, rushing for 88 yards on 21 carries and no touchdowns. When that’s cooling off, you’ve been on fire. Julio Jones and Matt Ryan got back on track. Jones had 12 catches for 162 yards and 1 touchdown. He seems to be healthy which bodes well for the future.
The Bucs seem to be making a conscious effort to turn the ball over less. While they had 3 fumbles, they didn’t lose any of them, none were from Jameis Winston, and he didn’t throw an interception. Since throwing 4 picks against the Panthers, Winston has completed 50 of 77 passes for 4 touchdowns, 0 picks, and has QB ratings of 122.5, 128.1, and 85.0. This is exactly the improvement the Bucs should be looking for. He isn’t lighting the world on fire, but is making smart decisions, and showing modest improvements across the board. The big plays will come if he can make good choices and the offensive line can develop. Winston has the arm and talent to stretch the field when he gets more confident. Getting Austin Seferian-Jenkins back might hope as well.
Fantasy Implications – Winston is looking more and more consistent, but isn’t putting up big numbers yet. Stashing him might be a good idea if you need a quarterback. Doug Martin failed to break 100 yards, but is still having an impressive bounce back season. Mike Evans had a disappointing game, but still had 9 targets. I have plenty of confidence that he will develop into a legitimate no. 1. However, he might not get there this season. No other receivers on the team are threatening his position, especially with Vincent Jackson out. Meanwhile, Julio seems to have returned to form, just like we all knew he would. Matt Ryan had a big game with 397 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 1 interception. He also lost a fumble. Devonta Freeman wasn’t quite as dominant. If he slides a little bit or gets hurt, then look for Tevin Coleman to step up big. I don’t think he’ll usurp Freeman entirely without an injury, but he was highly touted coming into the season. He lost his job due to injury, not performance. He’s a prime stash candidate. Jacob Tamme has also been impressive, and is probably worth starting as well. Ryan needs another target other than Julio, and he might be becoming his second option.
New York Giants at New Orleans Saints: 49-52
This was a game for the ages. I can’t recall a game that defined shootout better than this.
Brees threw for 7 touchdowns and Manning threw for 6. Brees looks as though he has fully bounced back from his shoulder injury, as he nearly doubled his season total touchdowns in one game. Meanwhile, the Saints as a team are looking much better after starting 0-3, and have put together exactly the type of run they needed. After being nearly out of the playoff picture, they’re back in it, sitting at 4-4, and 2 games back of the Falcons for 2nd place. They’re going to need to keep it up though, and definitely need their defense to play better than they did last week. The defense is ranked 31st in yards given up, and 30th in points given up. They’re going to need to do better, if they want to continue this hot streak. This game also looked like it was headed to overtime, but the Giants gave up a 24 yard punt return, then had a 15 yard facemask penalty at the end of the play. The Saints connected for a long field goal to win the game.
Fantasy Implications – Brees has reemerged as a potential stud. But, I would be a little hesitant to say that he is fully back to his old self, until I see this production continue from their offense. Brandin Cooks had a good game, and Benjamin Watson has been dominant as well. With these options opening up, perhaps, Brees can be a top-5 quarterback again. That’s an optimistic outlook. However, Watson is definitely a must-start at this point. I’d roll with Cooks as well. Khiry Robinson is done for the year, which means Ingram should improve his already solid stats, because he probably won’t be losing goal-line carries anymore. It’s possible Spiller finally steps up in the offense, but I wouldn’t bet on it. Marques Colston and Willie Snead had big games as well, but when the quarterback throws for 500+ yards, lots of people are going to have big games. Right now, I’d say Watson and Cooks are Brees’ top targets, but who knows? He will probably continue to spread the ball around.