With back-to-back wins over Saints and Bucs, Falcons get early edge in the NFC South

Six days ago, the Falcons were 1-2 and behind both the Saints and Buccaneers in the NFC South. Plenty has changed since then.

After beating the Saints and Bucs in back-to-back games on Sunday and Thursday, the Falcons are now 3-2, in first place in the division, and with head-to-head wins over the other two contenders in what looks like it will be a three-way race for the NFC South title.

The Falcons now get an extra three days of rest before they travel to Carolina, where they’ll be favored to beat the Panthers and run their record to 4-2 overall and 3-0 against NFC South opponents.

Atlanta still has road dates at Tampa Bay in Week Eight and at New Orleans in Week 10 in a long season. But right now, the Falcons have to feel very good about where they sit in the playoff race. Much better than they felt last week.