The NFC South is a messy division full of wanna be teams, but the Atlanta Falcons at least offer a shiny trinket of fun. They find their way to the top in 2024.
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Let’s not linger in the NFC South too long. This is a dark and barren place that is inhospitable to human life. Last year, the division housed the worst team in the league, as well as the worst division-winner. The year prior, not a single one of the four teams even finished above .500. So, what will happen in 2024? We expect more of the same.
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At the top, there isn’t a clear “good” team. Lots of momentum is backing the Atlanta Falcons for what they did to improve the offensive side of the ball. There are a lot of question marks there still, though, and it is paired with one of the worst defenses in the sport. Is that enough to top slow and steady Tampa Bay, or the up and coming Panthers? New Orleans is somewhere between rebuilding and hanging on. Who wins the NFC South in 2024?
NFC South Division Preview
Todd Salem – Dirty Birds Get The Worm
If Kirk Cousins is healthy and returns to form as an above-average passer, and if all the young skill players come into their own and develop a successful rapport with Cousins, and if the offensive line holds up, that should deliver a borderline top-10 offense. Considering the Atlanta Falcons are entering the year with far and away the easiest projected schedule in the league, is that enough to buoy a bottom-tier defense? Maybe so, in this division.
Atlanta has a bottom-rung defense. All three of the other teams here might as well. Tampa Bay and New Orleans both have better pieces, but a lot of them are older veterans on the backsides of their careers; the likes of Cameron Jordan, Demario Davis, Marshon Lattimore, and Lavonte David.
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The Falcons enter with a question mark at QB thanks to Cousins’ injury recovery and adjusting to a new offense. They still have the best QB in the division. Derek Carr and Baker Mayfield are below-average veterans with no upside, while Bryce Young may be the worst the NFL has to offer early in his career.
ATL also enters with a regime change at head coach, yet that doesn’t set them back from any of the other three either. Dennis Allen and Todd Bowles are retread coaches with no upside, perfectly matching their own quarterbacks. Meanwhile, Dave Canales is a complete unknown in Carolina.
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If we’re finding areas where others in the South have an edge, Carolina is dismissed from the conversation. Maybe one would take Tampa’s group of skill players ahead of Atlanta’s, but that’s arguable. Besides individual players like Chris Olave and Tristan Wirfs, there isn’t an obvious spot where anyone else has the leg up on the Falcons.
This division reminds me of the AFC West, in that one team will end up winning almost by default. The only difference is that Atlanta may not be good enough to win any other division this season.
1. Atlanta
2. Tampa Bay
3. New Orleans
4. Carolina
Dan Salem – Buccaneers Still Team To Beat
I counted out the Buccaneers last season and was immediately proved wrong. Todd Bowles may not be the best head coach, but he has excellent defenses and his teams are always pretty good. Mayfield is not a flashy quarterback, but he’s playing with zero expectations in Tampa Bay and consistently performs slightly above average. That was enough for the Buccaneers to win the NFC South last season, and it will be enough for them to win it once again.
New Orleans is in a weird spot and Carolina should be better, but I’d be shocked if they are anything close to good. Atlanta is the only team truly competing for this division with Tampa Bay, but the Falcons consistently find ways to lose games and get in their own way. I want them to win the NFC South because it is the most interesting outcome. Cousins succeeding on a new team and conquering a messy division is fun. Young players excelling is fun and the Falcons are a fun team to root for. But fun does not equal wins.
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I think Atlanta will win eight or nine games, but it won’t be enough to stop the boring old Buccaneers. There isn’t much that separates Mayfield and Cousins in my mind. They are on an even playing field this season. Therefore I give the edge to defense, which Tampa Bay is easily better at. We should probably just move on now, because this is not a flashy division. It doesn’t even have a good team.
How many more seasons until the NFC South is relevant again? They were dominant for many years with the Saints winning, then dominant again with the Bucs and Tom Brady. Even Carolina and Atlanta had their moments for a season or two. But now every team in the division is quite obviously weak compared to the actual good teams in the NFC. No one believes a NFC South team will make a playoff run and we are all right, because it’s not happening. I give it at least another two seasons before something truly changes.
1. Tampa Bay
2. Atlanta
3. New Orleans
4. Carolina
Meet our Writers:
Dan Salem is Lead Editor and Co-owner of BuzzChomp. He’s an award winning Actor, Director and Producer. Visit M Square Productions for his film work, or get lost in his old-school comedy on Pillow Talk TV. You can follow him on X, TikTok and Instagram. His latest film ‘Alone’ is now on Amazon.
Todd Salem is a Staff Writer and Contributing Editor at BuzzChomp. He’s also a champion of fantasy football and fantasy baseball, dominating leagues for over two decades. Comment below on his unfiltered opinions.
Atlanta Falcons Photo Credits: dazn.com and thefalcoholic.com via Getty Images
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