The NFC South title is on the line, and the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are fighting for that honor going into the 18th and final week of the NFL regular season.
The Falcons, who were picked by many to win the division when the season started, not only need to defeat the Carolina Panthers, which seems likely, but they will need Tampa Bay to lose to the New Orleans Saints, which doesn’t seem too likely, to finish first.
Complicating matters for Atlanta is their injury situation — Drake London and Darnell Mooney, their top wide receiver threats, were limited participants in Thursday’s practice due to knee and shoulder ailments, respectively, per Marc Raimondi.
WRs Drake London and Darnell Mooney, among others, showed up on the #Falcons injury report Thursday pic.twitter.com/896Rrbkzim
— Marc Raimondi (@marcraimondi) January 2, 2025
London, the No. 8 pick in the 2022 draft, has made strides in his third season by crossing the 1,000-yard mark, while Mooney has shown major improvements in his first season with the Falcons.
Mooney has caught 64 passes for 992 yards and five touchdowns this season after he had a very modest 31 catches, 414 yards and one touchdown in 2023.
When Atlanta landed pass rusher Matthew Judon and safety Justin Simmons prior to the start of this season, many felt they were strong favorites to win the NFC South.
But they haven’t been too excellent on either side of the football, even though they have a decent amount of talent.
One reason for that has been the disappointing play of quarterback Kirk Cousins, whom they signed to a four-year, $180 million contract during the offseason.
Cousins was benched a couple of weeks ago in favor of rookie Michael Penix Jr., who hasn’t played much better than Cousins in two starts.
Penix will start once again this Sunday as Atlanta hopes they’re lucky and good enough to make the playoffs for the first time in seven years.
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