NFC SOUTH 2020 PREVIEW

BY ADAM GREENE

For the last three seasons the New Orleans Saints have dominated the NFC South thanks to a successful soft rebuilt led by Sean Payton and the continued excellence of quarterback Drew Brees.

Before that, the Carolina Panthers had their own dominating run, winning three straight of titles (and getting to a Super Bowl) before the Atlanta Falcons broke through in 2016, making it all the way to the Super Bowl themselves where they led 28-3 over the New England Patriots and no one on Earth knows what happened after that.

Maybe the man who led the historic comeback in that game, who now plays in the NFC South, can remember, but the rest of us just have no recollection.

So how will the NFC South play out this year? I have some thoughts.

TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS (11-5, Division Champion)

I don’t like this anymore than the rest of you, but I’ve been burned too many years in a row at predicting the end of quarterback Tom Brady’s run in the NFL. Every QB, if he plays long enough, goes off a cliff performance-wise. It happened to Brett Favre. It happened to Peyton Manning. It’s always one year too many.

Brady is long overdue, but I’m not making that call again, so we’re pushing our chips to the center of the table with Tampa Bay this season because they were so close to being a good team last year in spite of Jameis Winston leading the Planet Earth in interceptions.

Of their nine losses, six were by a single score and if you’ve been following my previews, you know that stat has everything to do with who was playing quarterback. Brady can easily flip that around. He has all the weapons to do it with one of the best wide receiver tandems in the league, Mike Evans and Chris Godwin, along with new addition Rob Gronkowski. Now, I don’t think for a second Week 1 Gronk will be as good as the guy that stepped off the field and into “retirement” two years ago, but by December (if he’s healthy), he will be.

A team this loaded on both sides of the ball just needs a guy that won’t throw the it to the other team. Winston threw 30 last year. Brady hasn’t thrown a total of 30 in the last four years.

ATLANTA FALCONS (10-6, Wild Card)

I thought Dan Quinn was doomed for sure last season, but the Falcons did what they had to do to save his job, they won in December, going 4-0 to end the year. Like the Bucs, they’re loaded at wide receiver with Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley. Heyden Hurst takes over at tight end after a trade with the Baltimore Ravens and Todd Gurley slides in as the starting running back.

While Gurley won’t be what he was a few years ago, he was still one of the Los Angeles Rams’ best offensive players last season. He’ll be asked to carry less of the load in Atlanta and will thrive in the passing game.

NEW ORLEANS SAINTS (8-8)

Every year there are teams that made the playoffs the season before, even won divisions, that don’t make it back. I think the Saints are due for a fall. Brees, like Brady, has that cliff waiting on him and Payton’s playcalling last year reflected a fear of that, relying much more on the run game.

Brees is still the most accurate passer in the league, but this record is a reflection more on how much the other teams have done to surpass them and how tough the NFC is overall.

CAROLINA PANTHERS (5-11)

The Matt Rhule era begins with a whimper. This is not a reflection on Teddy Bridgewater, as he is obviously a starting NFL quarterback. It’s more on holes in the team unaddressed this offseason and the fact they have a serious overall talent deficiency when compared to the rest of the NFC South.

Everywhere outside running back, of course. Christian McCaffrey will win plenty of people fantasy football titles this season. But the Panthers aren’t winning many games.

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