The NFC South very well could feature negative records all around again – to nobody’s surprise.
The Carolina Panthers won the division last year, going 7-8-1, but I don’t expect them to repeat as ‘champions’. Losing Kelvin Benjamin for the whole season will severely hurt their offence, and their best receiver now is probably Greg Olsen, the tight end who made his first Pro Bowl last season.
The rookie Devin Funchess should hope to put up some big numbers too, as Ted Ginn and Jerricho Cotchery just don’t possess the talent that someone like Benjamin does. With DeAngelo Williams joining the Steelers, the onus will be on rookie Cameron Artis-Payne to get it done on the ground.
Cornerback Bené Benwikere had a good rookie season at cornerback, and veteran Charles Tillman will look to bounce back after injuring his triceps last year. Defensive phenomenon Luke Kuechly will team with rookie Shaq Green-Thompson at the linebacker spots, a fearsome duo for any opponent.
The New Orleans Saints are the best team in the division, but I’m wary of predicting that they’ll get back to the playoffs. If anyone was going to win the division, I’d give it to the Saints, but it may well be with a losing record again, or even an 8-8. With Drew Brees at quarterback, anything is possible, but losing Jimmy Graham to Seattle and Kenny Stills to Miami restricts their options at wide receiver.
Mark Ingram made his first Pro Bowl last year, and could become a really good piece in the backfield. With CJ Spiller coming over from Buffalo, the Saints have two strong options at running back. Brandon Browner, Cameron Jordan, Kevin Williams, Jairus Byrd and Anthony Spencer will join a whole host of rookies, including Stephone Anthony, to lock down the defence.
Last season was the second straight year that the Atlanta Falcons missed the playoffs, putting together their worst record since 2007. Matt Ryan is an underrated quarterback, and his third Pro Bowl selection of his career last year could signify a renaissance at age 30. With young running backs like Devonta Freeman, Terron Ward and Tevin Coleman, the Falcons will have good talent on the ground.
The talent-packed receiving trio of Roddy White, Devin Hester and Julio Jones ensures there’s firepower on offence. The Falcons will rely on their explosive rookies on defence, with players like Jalen Collins and Vic Beasley being counted on to make some big plays. Hiring Dan Quinn from Seattle will get the Falcons back to 8-8, and that mark may be good enough to win the division.
Last, and probably least, we come to one of the worst teams not just in the division, but in the whole NFL – the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Gone are the days of winning a Super Bowl, although they do have the honour of winning the only Super Bowl they played in (along with the Jets and the Saints).
Their last winning season was 2010, when they went 10-6 and still missed the playoffs. How far the NFC South has sunk since. Their 2-14 record last season was tied for the worst in the NFL, and they hadn’t had a 2-14 season since 1986 (although they’d come close a couple times).
I don’t have anything good to say about Jameis Winston, and as a player he’s not much better. Doug Martin will look to bounce back to the promise shown in his first years in the league, while Vincent Jackson, Mike Evans and Austin Seferian-Jenkins will put up big numbers catching the ball.
Mike Jenkins, Alterraun Verner, Henry Melton, Gerald McCoy and Lavonte David will all be key players on the defence, and will be relied on if the offensive unit can’t put points on the board. Don’t be surprised to see Tampa Bay at the bottom of the division with another losing record in 2015.
The NFC South – the only division where losing equals winning.
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