Matt Ryan

NFC South notebook: Star quarterbacks of present and future shine

Published Nov. 24, 2015 4:00 p.m. ET

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For Cam Newton and Jameis Winston, Week 11 of the 2015 NFL season was essentially a statement-making moment.

For Newton, it was a way for him to let the NFL know that he's not only a legitimate MVP candidate, but that he can shred opposing defenses apart with purely his arm if needed. His five passing touchdown performance, complete with a 44-16 blowout of the Washington Redskins, helped get the Carolina Panthers to 10-0 heading into Thanksgiving.

As for Winston, the No. 1 overall 2015 NFL Draft pick, we could call it a coming-out party. While the former Florida State standout had never thrown more than two touchdowns during the first season of his NFL career, he lit up the Philadelphia Eagles to the tune of five touchdowns as well.

Winston's performance was huge from a statistical standpoint, and was big for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers' season. This helped propel the Buccaneers to a 45-17 victory that pushed them to 5-5. In turn, Tampa Bay now finds itself behind the 6-4 Atlanta Falcons for the final NFC Wild-Card spot.

With Newton and Winston combining for 10 passing touchdowns in Week 11, it's all but the definition of seeing the present and future at the quarterback position in the NFL. Newton has come a long way since throwing 17 interceptions during his rookie season, and he's done an excellent job of becoming a more complete quarterback. Looking at Newton statistically, his team's record and the fact that he's done all he has in 2015 without Kelvin Benjamin is just incredible.

For Winston, it's been all about growth. After throwing seven interceptions in the first four games, he's thrown two over the next six games. Winston has gone from being a questionable No. 1 pick after Week 1, to showing us all why he went as the top pick. Expect Winston to continue to grow, and eventually maybe, just maybe, he'll find the type of success that we're seeing Newton have currently. Regardless, both of these quarterbacks are trending upwards, and doing so in a big way.

Atlanta's free fall continues

Is it time to sound the alarm on the Falcons? After losing two straight and three of their previous four heading into the bye week, the Falcons had a golden opportunity to get back in the win column at home, against backup Matt Hasselbeck and the up-and-down Indianapolis Colts. Unfortunately, the Falcons fell apart when it mattered most, and dropped the game, 24-21.

Atlanta is still holding on to that final Wild-Card spot in the NFC, but it needs to get back to playing the type of football it did during that 5-0 start.

Matt Ryan's three interceptions were one of many issues, but it's a glaring one and the veteran quarterback must bounce back immediately. To top this all off, the Falcons have a tough one against the Minnesota Vikings (7-3) in Week 12, who are coming off their own loss to the Green Bay Packers.

The Vikings will be looking for a bounce back on Sunday, while the Falcons are simply looking going to be looking to get back in the win column.

What's Doug Martin's future in Tampa Bay look like?

When the Buccaneers chose not to pick up the option on Doug Martin this offseason, it seemed that his time in Tampa Bay was coming to a close. Now, after a 235-yard performance against the Eagles and a stellar start to 2015, complete with 941 rushing yards, it seems as though the team wants him to stay around. Are the Buccaneers set to make a push to keep Martin in town?

Well, according to Roy Cummings of The Tampa Tribune, the team is focused on trying to keep Martin away from free agency. Head coach Lovie Smith may have summed it up best when he said Martin is "definitely" a priority. Time will tell on this, but after the incredible turnaround for Martin, it seems that the Buccaneers have every intention of keeping the 26-year-old running back paired up with Winston for the foreseeable future.

Call him the "Muscle Hamster," "Dougernaut," or whatever else you want to, but fans should remain confident that you'll be able to call him a Buccaneer in 2016.