I’ve been able to get a glance at the Nielsen TV ratings for every NFL team for the past two seasons, and they tell some interesting stories and show some interesting trends about the NFC South.

Let’s start with this: Since 2007, the Atlanta Falcons have had a 57 percent increase in their ratings. That’s the biggest increase of any team in the NFL in that span. The league average was 2 percent for the two-year window.

The Saints and Panthers were well above the league average and Tampa Bay was way below it. New Orleans’ ratings increased by 25 percent over the two-year span, and that growth tied them for fourth in the league. The Panthers gained 7 percent in that time. The Bucs, however, dropped 17 percent.

If you break it down to just the difference between ratings for 2008 and 2009, the Bucs took a significant fall, dropping 8 percent. But the Panthers, probably impacted by an 0-3 start, had the division’s largest drop, falling 10 percent.

The Falcons and Saints both had increases this year. Atlanta rose 7 percent this season. The Saints, who started 13-0, had one of the most dramatic increases of any team in the league this year.

The ratings for the Saints were up 42 percent over last year. That increase was second only to the Bengals, who had a 48 percent increase.