Going into week four, the Panthers, Buccaneers, and Falcons are in a three way tie for first place in the NFC south, making this Sunday’s game against Atlanta surprisingly important.  Even though we’ve only played three games, which team appears to be the most likely to challenge the Panthers for the division title?

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bucs head coach Jon Gruden made the right call in starting Brian Griese over Jeff Garcia, at least for one game.  Griese had an astounding 407 yards Sunday against a very good Bears defense, but the question is, how long will that last?  You’re not going to be able to win many football games throwing 67 passes, balance is key.  If Griese continues to play well though, the Bucs are still going to be a force to be reckoned with.  If Ernest Graham can show some decent production, the Bucs will be in good shape. Overall I think the Bucs will prove to be the Panthers toughest division opponent.

Atlanta Falcons

How many people though that Atlanta would be ranked 9th in the league in total offense after the first three weeks?  First of all, that number is going to go down.  The two teams that Atlanta beat, the Detroit Lions, and the Kansas City Chiefs are a combined 0-6, and have two of the worst defenses in the league.  The key number with Atlanta is 9.  That’s the number of points they scored against Tampa Bay, a team with an actual defense.  I’m not saying Matt Ryan and Michael Turner are bad, just that some of their success should be taken into context.  Bottom line, the Falcons are better, but their not that much better.

New Orleans Saints

Offensively the Saints have looked like they did back in 2006, ranking 4th in total offense, but they stink defensivley.  It really doesn’t matter how many points you score if you defense gives up just as many points.  Now with Jeremy Shockey out 3-6 weeks, the Saints may begin to sputter.  Until they can stop giving up the big play and play some defense, the Saints are going to continue to loose ballgames.

Tags: buccaneers, falcons, jeff garcia, nfc south, panthers