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Case of the Mondays: NFC South the Best Division in Football No More


by - 1/15/2018

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Stefon Diggs

The NFC South was generally considered to be the NFL's best division during the regular season. And why not? It put three teams in the playoffs, bagging both of the conference's wild-card spots. But the NFC Champion is South-free following brutal losses by the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints this past weekend. In the AFC, meanwhile, it's curtains for Pittsburgh.

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NFC South . New Orleans and the Carolina Panthers went head-to-head in the wild-card round, so one was always going to be knocked out right away. Still, the NFC South had a great chance of sweeping both spots in this upcoming weekend's conference championship game. That effort started to go…well…south when Atlanta fell at Philadelphia on Saturday. The Falcons led throughout the first half but did not score a single point over the second 30 minutes and fell 15-10. They were set up with a first-and-goal situation in the final minutes before that potential game-winning drive fizzled out. But if you thought the Falcons' loss was bad, think again. No matter that New Orleans did well just to come back from a 17-0 halftime deficit. The Saints should have won the football game. In fact, they had it won-leading 24-23 and the Vikings out of timeouts and out of field-goal range with 10 seconds left. When a simple tackle in bounds would have clinched it, the visitors were doomed by perhaps the worst defensive gaffe in NFL history as the Vikings won a 61-yard touchdown pass from Case Keenum to Stefon Diggs as time expired. Minnesota is a -3.5-point road favorite over Philadelphia in the NFC Championship.

Mike Tomlin . Sunday's proceedings made everyone forget about the Falcons' woes in a hurry. As bad as their last play against Philadelphia was, the New Orleans' end was even worse. As bad as their coaching was, Pittsburgh's was even worse. Tomlin made some hard-to-explain decisions involving clock management and onside kicks as the Steelers lost at home to the Jaguars 45-42. After scoring a touchdown to get within seven points at the 2:18 mark of the fourth quarter, the Steelers went for the onsides play despite having two timeouts and the two-minute warning at their disposal. Jacksonville went three-and-out but kicked a field to go up by two possessions with 1:45 remaining. The Jaguars are +9.5 underdogs at New England in the AFC Championship.

Georgia . What on Earth is going on with this state? The Falcons have blown leads in two playoff games in less than 365 days. The Hawks are currently the worst team in the NBA. The Braves are terrible and were just punished heavily by Major League Baseball for illegal dealings with international prospects. The Bulldogs squandered a 13-0 lead in the National Championship and lost to SEC rival Alabama 26-23 in double-overtime last Monday night. Heck, even the soccer team-Atlanta United-lost to Columbus as a home favorite in the Major League Soccer playoffs. Alabama is a +220 favorite to win next season's College Football Playoff.

Cleveland Cavaliers . The Cavaliers have lost three games in a row and sit third in the Eastern Conference at 26-16, seven games back of the Boston Celtics. And that does not even tell the full story, as Cleveland is also 2-7 in its last nine overall, and two of its last three setbacks have come by at least 28 points. According to the Elias Sports Bureau, no team in NBA history has ever lost back-to-back games by at least 25 points and gone on to win the title. Adding insult to the injury that is their current woes, the Cavaliers have to go up against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. Cleveland is a +5.5 home underdog .

Andrew Cogliano . The iron man of hockey is finally missing a game on Monday. Cogliano, a 30-year-old center for the Anaheim Ducks, has played in 830 consecutive games-the longest active streak and fourth-longest in NHL history. He won't get to 831. Cogliano is suspended for Monday's contest against Colorado for a late hit to the head of Los Angeles Kings' forward Adrian Kempe this past Saturday. The Ducks are +2500 to win the Stanley Cup.

Brian Harman . If tournaments were 36 holes, Harman would have gone back-to-back in Hawaii just as Justin Thomas did last year. Unfortunately for Harman, they are 72. The lefty led at the halfway point in Kapalua and played in the final pairing on Sunday with Dustin Johnson. He led at the halfway point at the Sony Open and was tied for second just one stroke back heading into the last 18 holes. Harman, however, stumbled to an even-par 70 on Sunday and missed a playoff by two strokes. James Hahn-who shot an eight-under 62-lost to Patton Kizzire after a six-hole battle. Harman is +8000 to win the Masters; Johnson is a +750 favorite (Bovada Sportsbook).

Manchester City . The streak is over. Manchester City had won 22 consecutive English Premier League matches before succumbing 4-3 at Liverpool on Sunday. The Sky Blues allowed three goals in the span of 10 minutes early in the second half, watching Liverpool blow open a 1-1 draw to lead 4-1. Man City stormed back by finding the back of the net in the 84th minute and again one minute into stoppage time, but the visitors could not produce the equalizer. On the bright side for the Sky Blues, they are still at least a whopping 15 points clear of every other club on the EPL table. City is also a +250 favorite to win the Champions League.

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