The New Orleans Saints have become somewhat of a darling in the NFC South this year, regularlly being listed as one of the top two teams in the league to most likely go from worst to first. That's partially because of doubts about the division, but it's also largely due to the massive improvements to the Saints roster. The Atlanta Falcons may the Saints' biggest obstacle to achieving that goal, per Bleacher Report's Alex Kay.
When you think about the NFC South, the Falcons are often the last team discussed. The Panthers won the division, the Buccaneers finally saw their streak of division dominance broken, the Saints are the rising team but the Falcons are just there with a quarterback battle between two disheartening options.
Kay's prediction that the Falcons and Saints could both be surprise playoff contenders either represents an NFC South that's improved enough to finally put a division winner and wild card team in the playoffs or the Saints and Falcons are on a collision course for the division title. It definitely represents the Falcons got their decision right at quarterback.
Tyler Shough will have to get the Falcons' monkey off their back
If it's going to come down to the Saints and Falcons for the divisional crown, Tyler Shough is going to have find a way to get his first victory over the heated rivals. He swept the Panthers and defeated the Buccaneers his only start against them, but the Falcons are the one NFC South team he hasn't beaten.
Shough spoke about the intensity of the rivalry and feeling the weight of it in the city. If Kay is correct, this rivalry will have much bigger stakes than purely bragging rights. It could be the deciding factor in the division.
As mentioned earlier, Kay's prediction for the Falcons hinges upon them getting the quarterback battle right. They have all of the pieces other than quarterback to be a rising team. That same pressure rests on the Saints' quarterback.
Shough will have to take the next step for the Saints to make it to the playoffs. Part of that is beating the Falcons, but it's much bigger than that. Shough maximized a battered group of weapons, and he'll need to do the same for the unit now that it's been invested in.
The Saints and Falcons getting improved quarterback play could bring the stakes back to rivalry. It also could set up for Shough vs. whoever is starting in Atlanta to be the biggest deciding factor in the NFC South.
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