Despite the Atlanta Falcons handing the Panthers their lone loss of the 2015 regular season, the Falcons performed poorly against division opponents. They were swept by fierce rivals New Orleans Saints, even though the Saints owned the worst defense in the league.
Also, Atlanta lost two close games to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and were blown out in Carolina, completing the picture of a team failing to keep up with their division. This is the polar opposite of the 2014 Falcons season, in which Atlanta sported a 5-1 division record, but only won one game outside of the NFC South.