Wildcard weekend in the NFC had its fair share of surprises, from a huge upset to clean sweep. The Falcons were able to up end the Rams on the road. This was thanks to a great running game and a stout defense. Meanwhile, on the other side of the country, the Saints used a high powered offense to pull off the impressive feat of defeating the Carolina Panthers for the 3rd time in the 2017 season.
Atanta Falcons @ Los Angeles Rams
Almost from the opening kick off of this wildcard match up the Rams looked destined to fail. There were several miscues and uncharacteristic mistakes made by LA. A fumbled kick off and a muffed punt early on by usually sure handed Pharoh Cooper virtually ended the Rams Super Bowl hopes. They were able to climb out of a 13-0 hole but didn’t have enough in the tank to seal the deal in the end. A usually overpowering offense was stifled and held to just 13 points. On the other side Matt Ryan played a flawless game completing 70% of his passes for 218 yards and a touchdown.
Final Score:
Falcons 26 Rams 13
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Carolina Panthers @ New Orleans Saints
The Saints and Panthers put on an offensive clinic. Both Drew Brees and Cam Newton threw for over 300 yards and multiple touchdowns. But it was the Saints defense that was able to make the final stop of the game as New Orleans outlasted its NFC South rival. The Panthers did a good job of limiting a Saints running game that had tormented other opponents this season, However it wasn’t enough as constant lapses in coverage gave way to gut wrenching chunk plays.
Final Score:
New Orleans Saints 31 Carolina Panthers 26