The Atlanta Falcons had things play out absolutely perfectly for them this weekend.
The Atlanta Falcons got the chance this weekend to enjoy some much earned rest after playing on a short week coming off a Thursday Night Football victory over the Green Bay Packers.
Following two absolutely dreadful performances over the first two weeks of the year with a quarterback situation which was simply not tenable to compete, Michael Penix Jr. returned to the field and managed his way to a huge win behind big nights from Atlanta's stars.
The best part about playing on Thursday and getting a victory though is being able to enjoy a Sunday slate of games completely stress free and cheering against hated rivals. As it turned out, things played out absolutely perfectly for the Falcons on Sunday as the other three teams in the division all took losses.
Saints, Panthers, Buccaneers All Lose on Sunday
With Atlanta getting the chance to put their feet up and watch, the rest of the division imploded and leaves the Falcons in a tie for first place even at just 1-2. Even the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who are 0-3, sit just one game behind the lead in a year in which it looks once again like 9 or 10 wins should be more than enough to get it done.
With the New Orleans Saints and Carolina Panthers taking dreadful losses of their own to the Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns respectively, this allowed the Falcons to gain ground in the standings without even having to play.
It almost gives Atlanta the opportunity to completely hit the reset button and forget about the first two weeks entirely, essentially beginning a new season with the return of Penix to the field fully healthy.
The Falcons are very much a threat in the NFC South, and while it's a week to week league, they looked like they could potentially be the division favorites in the evaluation of Week 3 for all four teams.
With an absolutely massive showdown coming next Monday night against the New Orleans Saints, each team is going to have the opportunity to show that they are the team to beat in the NFC South and get the early inside track towards seizing the weak division.
Things are about to heat up in the South, and after it seemed impossible the first two weeks of the year, Atlanta is clearly a team to watch in this division moving forward.
