The NFC South did not send a team to the Super Bowl last year, but they still have at least two, and quite possibly three, teams that rank as legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Indeed, most people recognize that the Falcons are, or at least appear to be, legitimate contenders to make the Super Bowl. After all, they very nearly won it two short years ago, and it took the most epic comeback in Super Bowl history to prevent that from happening. They are loaded, and look good on both sides of the ball. The Saints also look great, having one of the best, most explosive offenses in the league, and a much improved defense. They won the division last season, and only a miracle play by the Vikings prevented New Orleans from an NFC Championship Game appearance, and a shot at the Super Bowl. And the Panthers made it to the Super Bowl a few seasons ago, following an epic 15-1 regular season, although they got seriously bogged down by the Denver defense. They faltered the last couple of seasons, but they seem to have enough in place to be a legitimate playoff contender and, if things go right for them, to possibly have something to say about who represents the NFC in the Super Bowl. The only team that looks like they have no chance would be the Tampa Bay Bucs, although it's not impossible that they could surprise a few people, as well. But it will be tough to do that here in the NFC South, one of the league's best divisions.
Here are my predictions for the 2017 NFC South standings:
2. Atlanta Falcons (projected first place team) - Okay, so I did not quite get this preview off before the Falcons played their first game. The offense did not look particularly impressive against the Eagles, but that was a hell of a defense that they had to play against. Atlanta's defense looked good, however, and that is definitely a positive sign. The Falcons may have lost that first game, but most people figure them to be a serious threat to go back to the playoffs, and possibly even have another shot at the Super Bowl. They have some serious firepower on offense, although the running game seems to need to get off the ground if the Falcons are going to rank among the true elite units in the league. I will go ahead and predict another season similar to last one, with Atlanta finishing perhaps 11-5 or 10-6, although possibly, depending on how lucky or unlucky they are, they could be a game above or a game down from that. Usually, the Falcons do not overwhelm you with how strong their regular season record is, but the probably do not need that. If this team is healthy and gets hot in the playoffs, watch out, no matter where they wind up having to play! If this team stays healthy and focused, they should be able to win the division and be a serious threat in the NFC playoffs. If they do not, they still have a chance for the playoffs, but not much more.
3. New Orleans Saints (projected second place) - Last season, the Saints were able to put it all together enough to enjoy a solid season. Their offense was one of the elite units in the league, and their defense was actually quite solid, as well. That was good enough to get them the NFC South division title, although they lost that heartbreaker in Minnesota in the divisional round, robbing them of a chance to play in the NFC title game and have a chance to reach the Super Bowl. The question is, can the Saints continue to play at such a high level? It really was not unrealistic to think that they could not only make the NFC Championship Game, but win it, too. New Orleans still has drew Brees at the helm, but he is getting up there. Aging can happen in a hurry in professional sports, and that is perhaps especially true in the physical NFL. There is no telling how much longer Brees can play at this level, although if he has another great season, he will give his team an opportunity at another Super Bowl. Hard to believe that it was nine seasons ago that Brees and the Saints reached their only Super Bowl in franchise history, and won it, to boot. But if they hope to repeat that feat, they will need to keep the offense healthy and at least as explosive as they were last season, and their defense needs to step up again, at least enough to make the explosive offensive production stand up and carry them. At their best, this team has a real shot at the Super Bowl. The question is whether health and luck will be on their side.
1. Carolina Panthers (projected division winner) - The Panthers are a hard team to figure. They seem to have the tools necessary to compete, yet for the past two seasons, they have been greatly underwhelming. But a few seasons ago, they looked like a an all-time dominant team for almost the entire season, until they Broncos finally humbled them in the Super Bowl. Last season, the Panthers at least returned to the playoffs with an 11-5 record, even though they only ranked middle of the pack on both offense and defense. Also, they got bounced quickly against the Saints, and so went their season. From about the 10th game on, this team allowed a lot of points, and that really hurt their chances to win their division, once they suffered two key divisional losses to the Saints and Falcons. On offense, they were inconsistent. Sometimes, they could be explosive. Other times, they mostly looked pedestrian. Yes, they were a playoff team, and very nearly won the division title, but they looked nowhere near as good as they had in 2015. My guess is that this team is still solid enough to reach the playoffs, although they have to really get lucky, and put it together far more solidly, if they want another shot at a Super Bowl title. The talent is there, and Cam Newton still is the star quarterback, so the pieces are in place. Whether or not they can take full advantage is the obvious question, but there are no obvious answers, at least not until we see them in action, and see how they respond. However, if this team does everything right, and has luck on their side, they could go all the way to the Super Bowl.
4. Tampa Bay Buccaneers - (projected last place) - Tampa Bay is pretty much the only team in this division that I figure is a safe bet to not be a factor at all in the playoff race. It is not because they are an awful team, because they are not. But neither are they a real force to be reckoned with, and that is what they would need to be in this division. The Bucs ranked middle of the pack on both offense and defense, although closer to the bottom half in both regards. And that just will not cut it when they have to play the Falcons, the Saints, and the Panthers, twice each. If Tampa Bay can manage a way to win a few games there, they might have a real chance to surprise teams and make some noise. But that seems unlikely, since all of those teams are quite good. Tampa Bay compiled a 1-5 record against all of them last season, only managing to win that final game against the Saints in the regular season finale. And this team has some tough games this season aside from those within their own division. They will host the defending champion Eagles, the Steelers, and the 49ers, while having to travel to Baltimore and Dallas for some other games. That makes this season look very tough, and my suspicion is that the Buccaneers simply are not ready to meet that tall of an order, which is why they are my pick for last place here.
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