NFL Quarterly Review: NFC South

NFC SOUTH

MVP: Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan and Mike Smith have the Falcons Rolling

This one’s not even close. The only other person in the conversation is Sean Payton, since without him the Saints have completely fallen apart. But, since Payton isn't a player (and, since I'm going to spend some time ripping apart the Saints in a bit anyway), the MVP has got to go to Matt Ryan. Matty Ice has not only been the best player in the NFC South through 4 weeks, he’s been the best offensive player in the entire league. This right here is an MVP season in the making. Instead of giving any sort of analysis, I’ll just list Ryan’s stats to make my point: completing 69.4% of his passes, 11 touchdowns to only 2 picks, averaging over 290 passing yards per game, quarterback rating of 112.1. Point proven.

LVP: Mark Ingram

Last year, the Saints had a top-10 rushing attack. Because of that, a lot of people had high hopes for Ingram this year. Instead, he’s been practically non-existent. The Saints have become one of the most predictable offensive teams in the league, and the casualty has undoubtedly been the running game. If the Saints have any hope of making the playoffs, they’ve got to get Ingram and the rest of the running game on track.

Player to Watch: Matt Ryan

This division is pretty much wrapped up already. The Falcons just seem head-and-shoulders above the rest of the division. So just sit back, and watch Ryan and his stable of receivers do work.

Division Winner: Atlanta Falcons

They may not have the running game to make a full super-bowl push, but they definitely have the talent to take the division—and it probably won’t even be close.

Division Dog: New Orleans Saints

The Saints getting pressure... safe to say this pic isn't from
2012

I could write an entire essay on how my Saints have disappointed so far. Every aspect has been bad: the lack of a running attack, the porous offensive line, the lack of pressure from their defense, their inability to cover ANYONE. Even kicker Garrett Hartley missed a game-winning field goal last week, so I can slight the special teams too. It’s almost as if they have a dedicated agenda to ruin every Sunday for me. So far, so good guys. I don’t really understand how this team is so bad, with pretty much the same personnel as last year. But, boy, they sure are. Don’t look for them to rebound too much. Man, that was depressing to write...