It is almost fitting.
In a season that has seen the NFC South be anything from ordinary to abysmal, the Atlanta Falcons downed the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday, 30-17.
And you know what that means: Tom Brady and his Buccaneers teammates are division champions, and will get a home playoff game, despite finishing at 8-9.
The Falcons trailed in the Week 18 contest 17-13 before scoring the game’s final 17 points. Brady did exit the game early after going 13-for-17 for 84 yards and a TD,
The only redeeming part of the final week of the regular season for the NFC South was Eddy Pineiro had the decency to hit a 42-yard field goal as time expired in the other division game to give the Panthers a 10-7 victory over the New Orleans Saints.
Overtime would have been an affront to humanity.
.@EddyPineiro wins it for Carolina! #KeepPounding pic.twitter.com/lAcNz4bQdf
— NFL (@NFL) January 8, 2023
The Saints, Panthers, and Falcons all finished 7-10.
The Bucs can flex their division crown muscles at 8-9.