Post Patterns: The NFC South Defenses

After setting it up with Sunday Spotlight this morning, it's time to look back and see how our featured artists fared. First up: The defenses of the NFC South. Atlanta Falcons: They allowed Jake Delhomme's(notes) first 300-yard passing game since Week 2 of the 2007 season, but that had something to do with Carolina's need to play catchup with the new, scary, Matt-Ryan-to-Tony-Gonzalez combo in the Falcons' 28-20 win. There should be some sort of statistical debit for intercepting Delhomme only once, but we're not sure just what that should be. Had the Panthers run the ball more in a closer game, it could have been ugly; Jonathan Stewart(notes) gained 65 yards on just nine carries. Bad news came on the injury front: First-round tackle Peria Jerry(notes) left the game in the fourth quarter with a knee injury. Jerry had been playing well, drawing consistent double teams, and his loss would be felt. Carolina Panthers: They limited Michael Turner(notes) to 3.8 yards p...