NFL Predictions and Opinons: NFC South Edition
Published: Wednesday, August 28, 2024
by Ryan Nelke and Chris Heite
The NFC South was wide open last year, with it being anyone’s division to win. Well, besides the Panthers checking out of contention right away. But the Falcons, Saints, and Buccaneers (eventual winners) flip-flopped control throughout the whole year. It’s looking to be a little more of the same this season, but then again, the Bucs are not the favorites. Atlanta went out and made some BIG changes, including the signing of QB Kirk Cousins (4 years, $180M), as well as the recent additions of LB Matthew Judon and SS Justin Simmons. The Bucs return just about the same roster that got them to the Divisional Round last year, and still can cause trouble in what seems like a two-team race. The Saints get excluded from this race because there’s really nothing to get excited about with this team. By trotting out Derek Carr at QB, it’s admitted that a 9-8 record is the absolute ceiling. And then of course, the bottom-feeders of the division are the lowly Panthers, who underwent a treacherous first year with Bryce Young and have lost the star of the team, DE Brian Burns. Maybe first-time HC Dave Canales can work some magic with this team, but I don’t see anything to get excited about. With that said, let’s get into our predictions for the 2024 NFC South…
The Atlanta Falcons
Atlanta finally has new life, as they have escaped a quarterback purgatory of a washed-up Matt Ryan, Marcus Mariota, and Desmond Ridder. Here comes Kirk Cousins, who should be able to bring the Falcons' offensive weapons to life. With a core of Bijan Robinson, Drake London, and Kyle Pitts surrounding him, this should be a fun offense to watch. Not only does the offense give fans something to get pumped up about, but an already solid defense got stronger as well. A couple of weeks ago this defense boasted AJ Terrell and Jessie Bates III alone, but now has brought in Judon and Simmons. There’s star power all around this team, and it should result in a winning record for the first time since 2017. Therefore, I got Kirk Cousins leading the Falcons to an NFC South championship with a record of 10-7.
-Ryan Nelke
It’s two words for the Falcons this year: Kirk Cousins. Cousins, who is joining the
team after his long stint in Minnesota, is certainly getting up there in terms of
age. But he’s shown that he still has it, that is, if he’s healthy. Along with Cousins,
he’s got offensive weapons such as Bijan Robinson, Kyle Pitts, and Drake London, who
all have been proven to be producers. If you look at the defense as well, it doesn't
look like it’s going to be a bad year in Atlanta. However, I strongly believe this
is not the year Falcons fans are hoping for. Simply, I just do not think that Cousins
will fit into this solid team right away. I believe there will be a strong learning
curve that he will have to learn and adjust to... and it’s going to take too long.
I have the Falcons going a disappointing 6-11, not finding much success this season.
-Chris Heite
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs surprised a lot of people last year, not only by having a winning record but also by winning both the NFC South and a playoff game. Baker Mayfield seems to have found himself in Tampa Bay, and I bet those in Cleveland are regretting their decision to let him go (sorry DeShaun Watson, you’re washed up). The future Hall of Famer WR Mike Evans is one year away from tying Jerry Rice’s illustrious record of consecutive 1000-yard seasons (Evans has ten consecutive 1000-yard years). One big loss though came not with a player, but with former OC Dave Canales leaving to take the head coaching job in Carolina. This may lead to an adjustment period, but I envision a similar year for this team in the record department, but not the same amount of overall success. I’m taking the Bucs to go 8-9 and miss out on the playoffs this year.
-Ryan Nelke
Last year, Bucs fans were treated to one of the most exciting seasons they’ve had
since the Super Bowl season a few years ago. With the absence of Tom Brady, it’s safe
to say Bucs fans certainly lost hope. Yet Baker Mayfield had a great season last year,
and may have finally found his team, where he can be a long-time starter. I am a strong
believer that Mayfield has the potential to be one of the unexpected elite QBs in
the NFL. With an older receiver in Mike Evans, I do believe that the Bucs will have
a solid offensive squad. However, the Bucs do not have a great defense, and they do
have a tougher schedule. While I think there is hope for this team in the future,
I just don’t think they will find the success they are searching for this year. Joining
their fellow division mates with a losing record, I have the Bucs finishing 4-13,
with their very tough schedule and less-than-stellar defense.
-Chris Heite
The New Orleans Saints
The direction of this New Orleans franchise is very difficult to understand. They have refused to start the rebuild, but continue to put out a team nowhere near championship contention every year. Since Drew Brees retired after the 2020 season, the Saints have posted a 25-26 record. QB Derek Carr is back to lead the squad again, which should leave fans wondering what the long-term plan is with this franchise. Carr is still surrounded by the returning talents of RB Alvin Kamara and WR Chris Olave. Due to their offseason struggles with the salary cap, the only impactful addition this team was able to make was bringing in DE Chase Young. However, Young has yet to live up to the expected standards of a #2 overall draft pick, so we shall see how he performs this year in New Orleans. My lack of enthusiasm with this section of the article should tell you that I’m slotting in the Saints for another average 8-9 year, resulting in another lost season.
-Ryan Nelke
I think that I, along with many other football fans, have completely forgotten about
the New Orleans Saints and who their QB is. After some hard remembering, I finally
realized that Derek Carr is going to be QB1 this year. As much as I didn’t remember
it, I do believe that Carr is going to have a solid year with Chris Olave and Alvin
Kamara on offense. In the offseason, Chase Young was a huge addition to the defense,
and with a hit-or-miss offense, I think it may be an okay year in New Orleans this
year, as the Saints will find mediocre success in the not-great division they are
in. I am a big advocate for the NFC South being one of the worst divisions in the
NFL, so I have the Saints finishing at a 7-10 record, and yes you read it right, they
will win the division with the losing record.
-Chris Heite
The Carolina Panthers
In Carolina’s first season directed by Bryce Young, it went as bad as it could have, as they finished with a 2-15 record and did not even have the #1 overall selection, as they had traded it to the Bears the prior year (in their trade to move up for Bryce Young…oof). Dave Canales is now in town to change up the vibe, and they’ve brought in two rookies to aid Young. RB Jonathon Brooks will most likely miss the first few weeks as he’s coming off a torn ACL, but should be electric as soon as he gets onto the field. First-round WR Xavier Legette enters a somewhat crowded receiver room with Diontae Johnson and veteran Adam Thielen, so it should be interesting to see his impact. However, the departure of the Panthers’ biggest star, Brian Burns, leaves a massive hole in this defense. Overall, I cannot get excited about this team this year, and this is why I’m attaching a 3-14 record to them.
-Ryan Nelke
Even though all the hype was around Bryce Young in the first couple weeks of the season
last year, I believe that he was overhyped. I wouldn’t say this is a make-or-break
year for Young just yet, but I do believe he has to show the Panthers something, unlike
what he did last year. He has weapons now with Dionate Johnson and Adam Thielen, who
have proven to be solid the last few years. But with the mix of young and old on the
Panthers' offense, I don’t believe they are going to have a good year. It’s really
just the eye test; on paper they seem like an okay team, but I don’t think either
the offense or defense will be good this year. I believe the Panthers will be taking
a seat right next to the Bucs, finishing with a rough 4-13 record.
-Chris Heite
Ryan Nelke’s Projected NFC South Standings
1) Falcons (10-7)
2) Buccaneers (8-9)
3) Saints (8-9)
4) Panthers (3-14)
Chris Heite’s Projected NFC South Standings
1) Saints (7-10)
2) Falcons (6-11)
3) Panthers (4-13)
4) Buccaneers (4-13)
There will certainly be a lot of intrigue surrounding the NFC South. Find out how
it all pans out when the NFL season kicks off on September 5th…
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