But, for the moment anyway, I think it’s safe to call Sunday’s game between the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons as the division’s “Game of the Season.” That could change when the teams meet again the day after Christmas. But, for now, Sunday’s game is set up as the best we’ve seen in the NFC South so far.

The Saints are 6-3 and the Falcons 5-3. Atlanta has won three in a row after a rocky start and the Saints got themselves back on track with an impressive victory against Tampa Bay a week after an embarrassing loss to the previously winless St. Louis Rams.

The Saints turned the 4-4 Bucs into a .500 team, which basically is what I’ve suspected they would be. It’s really not a surprise that the Saints and Falcons have emerged as the best in the NFC South. That’s what many expected all along.

But many preseason predictions were divided on if the Saints or Falcons would win the division. Sunday’s game at the Georgia Dome could go a long way in deciding who will win the NFC South.

The Falcons are trying to become the first team in NFC South history to win the division in back-to-back years. The Saints will be trying to prevent that as they try to re-claim the division championship they won in 2009.

That’s enough to create a lot of interest. But there’s a lot more to this game than just that. These two teams share a mutual respect, but that doesn’t mean they like each other.

When the Saints won in Atlanta last season, many Falcons were more than a little upset that some New Orleans players came back onto the field to pose for pictures on the Falcons’ logo. The Saints said they weren’t gloating and were only collecting a memento from what they viewed as a very important victory.

But I can assure you that the Falcons didn’t see it that way and don’t want anyone posing for pictures on their field this time around.

Should make for a very interesting week in the NFC South.

Opening the second half of the season, every Indianapolis Colts fan is questioning whether the team will win a game in the 2011 season. In their ninth game of the season the Colts will return back home after three consecutive road games and face the Atlanta Falcons. The Falcons have had a disappointing start to the season but are currently 4-3 and trail just the New Orleans Saints in the NFC South. The Colts may be the most disappointing team through the first eight games of the NFL season.

It’s odd for Colts fans that after eight games instead of talk about the playoffs, we are hearing more about a winless season and possibility of earning the number one pick in the 2012 draft. The Colts are now 0-8 on the season and are heading in the wrong direction. After competing and being in a position to win games earlier in the year, the Colts have been beaten badly lately. They are coming off big losses in consecutive games against the Saints and Tennessee Titans.

Matt Ryan(notes), Roddy White(notes), and Michael Turner(notes) will provide no easy task for a struggling Colts defense. It’s surely possible that the Colts offense could get something going at home against an average Falcons defense. The Colts are likely to get several players back from injury this week. They should receive help on the offensive line with starters Anthony Castonzo and Ryan Diem returning from injuries. This can only help Curtis Painter(notes) and the running game of Joseph Addai(notes) and Delone Carter(notes) see improvement.

This game will present the Colts with a big challenge as they face another superior team. This week against the Falcons is unlikely to give the Colts a chance for their first win of the season. Fans have to admire that the team is still playing hard and trying to win. Jim Caldwell and his staff are continuously doing a poor job of getting the team prepared and putting them in a position to win games without Peyton Manning(notes). One of the biggest stories in this game could be whether the home crowd begins to turn on the Colts for the first time since pulling starters in week 15 of the 2009 season against the New York Jets with an undefeated record.

Prediction: Falcons 27, Colts 17

Kyle Rapoza is a Featured Contributor for the Yahoo! Contributor Network and has been a lifelong fan of the Indianapolis Colts. He attended Super Bowl XLIV in Miami and follows the team closely. Follow him on Twitter @kyler11.

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Read More: Julio Jones (WR – ATL), Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons received a bit of good news coming off their bye week, as rookie WR Julio Jones returned to practice Monday after missing the last two games with a hamstring injury:

Jones, whom the Falcons acquired in a draft day trade, has had a solid, if not spectacular, rookie season so far, with 25 receptions for 358 yards. 

While expectations were sky-high for the rookie from Alabama, wide receivers have one of the most difficult transitions to make to the pro game out of college. 

Jones has yet to catch a touchdown in his NFL career, but Atlanta’s game this week against the hapless Indianapolis Colts, who gave up 62 points to the New Orleans Saints earlier this season, may be a great opportunity for him if he’s fully healthy.

For the latest news and analysis on the Falcons, head on over to the Falcoholic.

John Czarnecki has lists of lockout winners and losers. The Atlanta Falcons are No. 1 on the list of winners and the New Orleans Saints are No. 3. No argument here. I think the players for both of those teams have handled the lockout as well as possible and they’ve got veteran coaching staffs. The Carolina Panthers are No. 4 on the list of losers. Again, I don’t see any flaw with that thinking. New coach Ron Rivera hasn’t had any time to work with his players and that’s a big disadvantage.

Here’s a detailed list of all of Atlanta’s free agents and even a speculative list of undrafted free agents the Falcons could sign.

Steve Reed has an overview of what the Panthers might do coming out of the lockout. He says he expects the Panthers to add some mid-level free agents. I agree. This team started a youth movement and it’s not going to reverse course by going out and signing a bunch of big-name 30-year-olds.

Here’s some audio of me talking Panthers with my friends at Cat Crave Radio

The parents of New Orleans running back Reggie Bush, who played public roles in his controversial career at USC, reportedly are divorcing.

Charlie Campbell has a look at five prominent potential free-agent fits for the Buccaneers and five mid-level free agents. Although the Bucs will come out of the lockout with more salary-cap room than any team in the league, I wouldn’t look for them to go after too many of those prominent guys. They need to re-sign some of their own free agents and I think you could see them target some mid-level free agents.

Read More: Jerious Norwood (RB – ATL), Mark Ingram (RB – Alabama), Jacquizz Rodgers (RB – Oregon St.), Mark Ingram (RB – NOS), Jacquizz Rodgers (RB – ATL), Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Oregon St. Beavers

EA Sports knows how to get attention: Madden ratings, little by little, are magic. The latest crop of Madden 12 player ratings to be revealed: rookie running backs, topped of course by New Orleans Saints RB Mark Ingram. 

Atlanta Falcons RB Jacquizz Rodgers of the Oregon St. Beavers shows up at No. 8, a 69 overall. Considering he was the 16th running back picked in the 2011 draft, it sounds like EA thinks of him as a great value. Which, of course, he was. 

No telling about his ratings beyond just his overall, but I’d imagine he has very good carrying and agility ratings. He doesn’t have the top-notch speed you’d expect out of a little guy, and his frame will definitely limit his power. But he should be a fun weapon for Falcons fans, the likes of which the team’s been missing once auto-update marks Jerious Norwood down as an injury at some point every year.

For more Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL, visit SB Nation’s NFL hub.

I’m going with the Atlanta Falcons and that’s mainly because they’re the safest bet. Tampa Bay could be really good, but Josh Freeman needs to keep growing and the Bucs need to surround him with more talent. We have no idea yet how good Carolina quarterback Cam Newton will be. That leaves the New Orleans Saints, who have been the division’s best team in recent years, but nothing stays the same for very long. Drew Brees will be in his mid-30s in the time period we’re talking about, and defensive leader Jonathan Vilma also will be getting close to the end of his career.

That’s why I’m going with the Falcons. They’re already good and should only continue to get better. Yes, they’ve got some aging guys like defensive end John Abraham, tight end Tony Gonzalez and center Todd McClure. Michael Turner’s had so many carries in recent years that he might be worn out by 2014.

But those guys can be replaced, and the Falcons don’t have a lot of glaring holes. In fact, they’ve got a glaring strength. That’s quarterback Matt Ryan. Since he came into the league in 2008, all he’s done is win. He’s a talented passer and a natural leader.

I don’t think the world has realized yet just how good Ryan is. In fact, I think his coaches are thinking it’s time to turn Ryan loose and let him do more in the passing game. That’s why they traded up to draft Julio Jones. He and Roddy White should give Ryan two top-notch receivers. White’s made some noise about the Falcons’ having an offense that could be like St. Louis’ “Greatest Show on Turf.”

Let’s assume he’s right or assume the offense is at least going to be good. What about the defense? It hasn’t exactly been an Atlanta strength in recent years. I think that’s going to change.

Mike Smith comes from a defensive background, but he and general manager Thomas Dimitroff decided early on they had to begin with offense. They’ve started to get the kind of defensive players Smith likes, but we haven’t seen the real results of that yet. The Falcons almost surely will sign a pass-rusher as soon as free agency opens. But whoever that is might not be the real key to the defense.

I’m thinking that, by 2014, Peria Jerry and Sean Weatherspoon will be very important players. Jerry, a defensive tackle, suffered a major knee injury as a rookie in 2009 and played sparingly last year. The Falcons are convinced Jerry should be 100 percent healthy this year and think he can be a star. Weatherspoon showed flashes of potential and the kind of personality it takes to be a leader as a rookie last season. But his season was interrupted by injuries.

The Falcons should get better on defense in the next few seasons, and their offense already is good. Throw in the fact that Smith has one of the top coaching staffs in the league and that he and Dimitroff work together as well as any coach and general manager in the league, and I think the Falcons will be solid for a long time.

Atlanta fans put up with a lot of suffering throughout franchise history. But things have changed. The Falcons haven’t had a losing record the last three years, and I don’t see that streak ending anytime soon.

Coming out of the lockout, the Falcons should be favorites to win the NFC title and go to the Super Bowl, writes macon.com’s Daniel Shirley.

AtlantaFalcons.com continues its tournament-style bracket to decide fans’ favorite Falcons legacy player is. Today’s matchup: No. 3 Deion Sanders vs. No. 14 Scott Case.

D. Orlando Ledbetter weighs whether the Falcons should re-sign Jerious Norwood.

Carolina Panthers

Kerry Collins, the first player drafted in franchise history, announced his retirement Thursday after 16 seasons in the NFL.

New Orleans Saints

Defensive lineman Anthony Hargrove is still mourning the death of his brother, who died from stab wounds two weeks ago.

The Saints are highly motivated this season following their first-round playoff loss to a Seahawks team that finished the regular season with a losing record.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Quarterback Josh Johnson, who grew up a 49ers fan, would like to re-connect with his former coach, Jim Harbaugh, in San Francisco. “I’d get to come home, be with my family, play for a coach that changed my life and play for a team that I grew up loving,” Johnson said.

Bucs Nation takes a close look at where the team stands at the center position.

AtlantaFalcons.com is running a tournament-style bracket to let fans decide who their favorite Falcons legacy player is. Today’s matchup: No. 7 Tommy Nobis vs. No. 10 Warrick Dunn.

Tony Gonzalez makes an appearance in Funny or Die’s “Field of Dream 2″ spoof of the NFL lockout.

Carolina Panthers

Wofford College and Spartanburg businesses have a lot riding on the outcome of pending NFL labor talks. Wofford has been the summer home of the Panthers for the past 16 years, but the lockout threatens to cancel training camp. Not hosting the Panthers would mean the loss of hundreds of thousands of dollars for local businesses.

New Orleans Saints

A group of retired players has filed a complaint against the NFL, the named plaintiffs in the Tom Brady antitrust action and NFLPA executive director DeMaurice Smith. The retired players’ complaint takes particular aim at Drew Brees, one of the Brady plaintiffs, claiming Brees “voiced his antipathy for NFL retirees.”

The Saints’ homecoming against the Falcons in the rebuilt Superdome a year after Hurricane Katrina was a significant moment in the city’s recovery, according to an NC State University study.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A new CBA with a higher cap floor could lead a team like the Bucs, which has a low payroll, to spend big on free agents such as Nnamdi Asomugha, according to NFL.com’s Jason La Canfora.

The Bucs reportedly have no interest in signing Ronde Barber’s brother, Tiki, when free agency begins.

The team has promoted former college scouting director Dennis Hickey to director of player personnel.

North Carolina State researchers found that the New Orleans Saints’ homecoming against the Atlanta Falcons in the rebuilt Superdome a year after Hurricane Katrina was a significant moment in the city’s recovery, according to a release issued by the university Wednesday.

Read More: Tyson Clabo (OT – ATL), Todd McClure (C – ATL), Ovie Mughelli (FB – ATL), Roddy White (WR – ATL), Drew Brees (QB – NOS), Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, Dallas Cowboys, Green Bay Packers

Pasta Padre’s Madden 12 screenshots set includes a handful of player ratings for top Green Bay Packers, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys players, along with the Atlanta Falcons. From that album, here’s a screen shot of Atlanta’s top nine player ratings:

Based on what we can see, the only players rated more highly than Roddy White and Tony Gonzalez are Aaron Rodgers and presumably Drew Brees. Peyton Manning and others probably will be too, but we only have a little to work with here. That’s a good number for White, but Gonzalez’ looks a bit too high.

Nice to see Todd McClure still getting recognition, along with Pro Bowler Ovie Mughelli and my favorite player from the 2005-2007 Falcons, Tyson Clabo. There will be much squawking in Birdland about Matt Ryan’s rating, but I think it’s pretty solid.

For more Falcons, join The Falcoholic. For more NFL, visit SB Nation’s NFL hub.

The AJC’s Bird Cage blog unveiled its Falcons Dream Team; several current players made the roster.

Will the Falcons be players for Plaxico Burress’ services? According to Falcoholic’s Dave Choate, not a chance.

Carolina Panthers

According to the San Diego Union-Tribune’s Kevin Acee, Steve Smith has reportedly let it be known that he would like a trade to the Chargers, Raiders or Ravens.

ESPN’s Adam Schefter says No. 1 overall pick Cam Newton should not be under center in Week 1 of the upcoming season.

New Orleans Saints

Linebacker Stanley Arnoux reportedly had his Super Bowl XLIV ring stolen out his car while he attended a party in Miami.

Who Dat Dish has put together a Saints All-Time Dream Team on offense. One current Saints player made the cut.

Who is the Saints’ leading slot receiver? Ed Staton argues it’s Marcus Colston.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

GM Mark Dominik is encouraged by the direction of the team with Josh Freeman under center. “When you talk about someone throwing 25 touchdowns and just six interceptions, that’s a remarkable season, not just a good season,” Dominik said.

Coach Raheem Morris discussed what coaches do during the lockout with KTBS-3 TV in Shreveport, La.

Fox-5 in Atlanta has video of some Falcons players — including Stephen Nicholas, Bear Woods and Harry Douglas — working out with area children.

The American Institute for Stuttering will host a benefit gala honoring Falcons owner Arthur Blank.

Carolina Panthers

Seventh-round draft choice Lee Ziemba isn’t too worried about the lockout. “I feel like it’s all going to get worked out in the end. I’m not too stressed right now about it,” Ziemba said.

Coach Ron Rivera was as surprised as anyone when the NFL Coaches Association filed a brief with the 8th Circuit Court of Appeals supporting the players in the NFL’s ongoing labor dispute.

New Orleans Saints

The Saints ranked No. 2 in FoxSports.com’s NFL organizational rankings, which grades teams based on six categories — owner, quarterback, head coach, front office, coaching staff and intangibles. The Falcons were No. 8, the Bucs 13th and the Panthers were 31st.

First-round pick Mark Ingram is striving to make an early mark with the Saints.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The attorney for cornerback Aqib Talib will ask for a quick trial in his case of an alleged assault with a deadly weapon. In an interview with PewterReport.com, fellow cornerback Ronde Barber described Talib as “a great teammate … a fun-loving, kind of gregarious guy” and that the team is “somewhat responsible for him.”

The Bucs signed their longtime radio play-by-play man, Gene Deckerhoff, to a two-year contract extension.

Read More: Jason Snelling (RB – ATL)

Atlanta Falcons RB Jason Snelling isn’t comfortable with the court system being used to decide the outcome of the NFL lockout, saying he’d prefer daily meetings between players and the league. He told Mike Florio Thursday that he has spoken to a National Football League Players Association representative about his concerns, but that he doesn’t feel assured the dispute is being handled in the best way.

Even New Orleans Saints players seemed to approve of his stance, with a handful of them tweeting Snelling’s remarks.

One of the most frustrating things about observing the lockout, as soul-grinding as it is, has been the legal battle. Very few people have the frame of reference to understand everything that’s going on, and it’s all so boring that I can’t imagine why anybody would want to do so anyway. The idea of shutting both parties in a room until the deal gets done appeals to most fans, as farfetched as it may be.

Visit SB Nation’s NFL hub for more NFL lockout news. Join The Falcoholic for more on the Atlanta Falcons.

Read More: Atlanta Falcons

Despite the ongoing NFL lockout, players for the Atlanta Falcons and several other teams have managed to jimmy-rig offseason conditioning programs for themselves. The Falcons have been conducting a strength and conditioning program based on their regular drills at a Cumming, Georgia facility, and now they’re set to begin their minicamp, according to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter.

Ledbetter lists Matt Ryan and Roddy White among likely participants, but can’t say whether Julio Jones or other rookies will attend. The New Orleans Saints have had at least one rookie take part in their own offseason workouts. 

The team (by team I mean players) appears to be going by last year’s offseason calendar, in which minicamp began on May 7. Fans of just about every NFL team have to be concerned about whether their players are staying in touch and in shape, so it’s good to know the majority of Atlanta’s roster is.

Visit SB Nation’s NFL hub for more NFL lockout news. Join The Falcoholic for more on the Atlanta Falcons.