Carolina Panthers

NFC South Power Rankings

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

foxsports

Oct 9, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Atlanta Falcons defensive tackle Grady Jarrett (97) celebrates his sack of Denver Broncos quarterback Paxton Lynch (12) (not pictured) in the second half at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Falcons defeated the Broncos 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

After a crazy Week 5 which was filled to the brim with exciting action, we look into the structure of the NFC South through power rankings.

Week 5 was an excellent week of NFL football. At the time of writing this post, we saw five games where the underdog was the victor.

Most importantly, we saw two undefeated teams take losses. The reigning Super Bowl champions, the Denver Broncos, lost to the upstart Atlanta Falcons in a game that was not close until the final minutes. Additionally, the Philadelphia Eagles lost a close game to the surprisingly good Detroit Lions.

Moving forward, it is time to preview how the NFC South was impacted by the NFL season thus far. The Atlanta Falcons are looking like a scorching hot team after defeating both teams to play in last year’s Super Bowl (the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos) in back to back weeks. Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints are looking like a dumpster fire that got into a shotgun wedding with the last Cleveland Browns regime.

Let’s get started with the power rankings!

4. The New Orleans Saints

Here is the crazy thing about the New Orleans Saints, minus the loss to the Falcons, this is a team that has been in every game that it has played. In Week 1, the Saints lost 34-35 in an extremely emotional game against the playoff looking Oakland Raiders.

More from Blogging Dirty

Next, in Week 2, the Saints lost 13-16 against the New York Giants. In this game, neither team really dominated the other, and ultimately the Giants won because of the strength of their defense.

However, in Week 3, the Saints did take a gut-clenching loss to the Atlanta Falcons where the team looked all out of sorts for the entire game.

But, in Week 4, the Saints rebounded and stole a game from the San Diego Chargers that took a bit of luck in the final quarter. New Orleans won 35-34.

Ultimately, this team needs to learn how to win the close games. Many people say luck factors into winning a close game. My take is that to win a close game, a team must trust each other and be mature in executing in hard situations.

Oct 2, 2016; Tampa, FL, USA; Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston (3) talks with Tampa Bay Buccaneers head coach Dirk Koetter during the second half against the Denver Broncos at Raymond James Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jonathan Dyer-USA TODAY Sports

3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are a team that has underperformed thus far in the season. Coming into this year, I believed that Jameis Winston would take a huge leap forward in his progression and become closer to a top seven quarterback.

While not all of the Buccaneers problems arise from Winston, this is a team that needs to become more consistent in execution. Although this is a team with a young core, having a rookie head coach makes it harder to develop players due to not having an existing identity.

Maybe after the slow start this team is having, fans should begin to question why the team fired Lovie Smith?

Also, this is a team that I thought would make a run with the Carolina Panthers for the division title After resigning Doug Martin, I just knew deep down that this was a team built for playing games in January. I guess I was wrong.

Oct 2, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; Carolina Panthers wide receiver Corey Brown (10) scores a touchdown against Atlanta Falcons defensive back Brian Poole (34) in the fourth quarter of their game at the Georgia Dome. The Falcons won 48-33. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

2. Carolina Panthers

If you would have told me that the Panthers would not repeat the crazy season they had last year, I would have told you “Duh.” Last year’s performance was excellent, but it was mostly fueled by great defense, turnover-free football from Cam Newton, and a tad bit of great opportunities.

Last year’s performance was excellent, but it was mostly fueled by great defense, turnover-free football from Cam Newton, and a tad bit of great opportunities.

This season, the Panthers are not getting into their rhythm until later into games and they are suffering across the board from this. Additionally, it didn’t help that they allowed one of their best defenders to leave the team.

This is a team that can still ‘right the ship,’ it just needs to stop trying to be last year’s team and start setting a tone early.

Oct 9, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones (11) celebrates the win over the Denver Broncos in the second half at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. The Falcons defeated the Broncos 23-16. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

1. Atlanta Falcons

My heart is starting to beat pretty fast after typing that the Atlanta Falcons are the best team in the NFC South. This isn’t to say that the Falcons will still be the best team in the NFC South in three weeks, not at all. Just that today, the Falcons are the best team.

Put simply, the Falcons are playing lights out offense, while playing good, but not great defense. The strategy of outscoring your opponent is not a long-term strategy, but for right now it is a strategy that is working. If Vic Beasley, Matt Ryan, and Kyle Shanahan can keep hope alive, the Falcons might be able to work some postseason magic for their fans.

The strategy of outscoring your opponent is not a long-term strategy, but for right now it is a strategy that is working. If Vic Beasley, Matt Ryan, and Kyle Shanahan can keep hope alive, the Falcons might be able to work some postseason magic for their fans.

Lastly, coming into this season, I was very cold on the Falcons. I was worried that Ryan was ruined and that Shanahan could not have success with this offense. Once again, I was wrong on all of those accounts. This is a Falcons team that is a good team. Beating both the Carolina Panthers and the Denver Broncos is credible evidence.

For more Editorials coverage, please visit our hub page.

This article originally appeared on