2018 NFC South Preview

Happy Labor Day! I'm not taking a full break on the holiday with the NFL season just three days away. This means you have just three days to get in on the annual COAS Pigskin Pick 'Em contest. Thursday morning the weekly series will be renewed as Adam Quinn and I return to picking games against the spread and taking potshots at anyone and everyone.

But in the meantime, there are still three more divisions to preview, and today we're looking at maybe the deepest in the league in the NFC South.


NFC South

Common opponents on schedule: NFC East, AFC North

1. New Orleans Saints
2017: 11-5 (1st), lost in NFC Divisional Round
Pulling a Vikings up in Minneapolis in January aside, the Saints had a phenomenal 2017. Drew Brees clearly still has something left in the tank and has a very balanced attack to work with having Michael Thomas and Ted Ginn out wide and Alvin Kamara ready to elude fools out of the backfield. But a defense I maligned for years made me look like an idiot as Marshon Lattimore helped stabilize things in the secondary to be one of the better units in points allowed. Add on a year of experience for some of those key guys and you've got a group that will threaten for the NFC crown.
2018 Prediction: 12-4

2. Atlanta Falcons
2017: 11-5 (2nd), lost in NFC Divisional Round
Matt Ryan got paid and still has a ton of weapons at his disposal with Calvin Ridley serving as a good third receiver behind Mohammed Sanu and Julio Jones, while Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman continue to provide a pretty good 1-2 punch out of the backfield. I maligned the Falcons' defense too last year, but they played very well also en route to a divisional round appearance. The group returns pretty much intact as well. It means the Falcons will be right in the thick of the divisional and playoff hunt, but I think they'll fall short on a tiebreaker.
2018 Prediction: 10-6

3. Carolina Panthers
2017: 10-6 (3rd), lost in NFC Wild Card Round
In a division full of explosive offenses, the Panthers might be the dark horse of the division. Cam Newton hasn't played at MVP level the last couple of years, but he's still a great dual threat with a ton of weapons. Torrey Smith can stretch the field opposite Devin Funchess, while getting a full season out of Greg Olsen can only help matters, and that's before you even factor in second year back Christian McCaffrey, who should improve on a solid rookie season. Dontari Poe coming over from Atlanta anchors the defensive line, while that dual threat of Luke Keuchly and Thomas Davis in the linebacking corps is a scary proposition. It will keep the Panthers relevant as well, but in a tough division I think they fall just short.
2018 Prediction: 9-7

4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2017: 5-11 (4th), missed playoffs
Ryan Fitzpatrick will run the offense for the first three weeks because Jameis Winston can't stay out of trouble, but I don't know how much his presence would help. He's been okay, but not great, while you've got an aging Desean Jackson lining up opposite Mike Evans out wide, and the Bucs are relying on Peyton Barber to be their top back, something I'm not really confident in. They tried to add pieces on defense, signing Jason Pierre-Paul and drafting Vita Vea this offseason, but you've got Brent Grimes who may be a distraction time bomb due to his wife and the immortal Chris Conte starting at safety. It's not a great recipe.
2018 Prediction: 4-12