LogFAQs > #946642620

NFC South

1. Atlanta Falcons
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Carolina Panthers
4. Anaheim Lightning

While rookie QB Patrick Mahomes not winning the job out of the preseason (MMX is certainly able to change that if he wishes) does mean the offense has a lower ceiling, I'm really feeling the Falcons this year. They should have won the division last season, and through their gains and losses, I feel like they are better this season. The schedule includes the NFC East, but their divisional foes have to play them too, and I feel like the Falcons match up better with each of them than the others do. It starts with the defense. While management perplexingly decided to retain blah WR Jordan Shipley over a great DE in Doug Worthington (he signed with the rival Bucs too), the defense as a whole should be better this season in adding two studs via trade in DT Clifton Dickson and SS Lewis Baker. They also signed another in free agency with FS T.J. McDonald. An under-the-radar series of moves was when they had to work around the cap by cutting and replacing players. They did so while simultaneously improving the team's depth. Regardless of what QB is starting, and if second-year HB David Johnson immediately shows that he's an improvement over Lonta Hobbs, I feel as if the high defensive floor and general level of depth gives the Falcons a leg up on the division.

The Bucs defense really let them down last season as they suffered just their third losing season. Not accustomed to this, management decided to use nearly all of their draft picks to grab established players and grabbed a 91 TE, 83 DT, and 99 K. They also went out and signed four additional starters. The offense was already the best in the division, but now that they had studs under center, in the backfield, along the line, and out wide, the floor and ceiling for this unit is now pretty high. Again though, it will come down to the defense. I'm not super high on them making a massive turnaround, but I will expect them to do considerably better than their showing last season. How much of an improvement though will determine how much a playoff contender they will be. They have a chance to make an early statement as they play full-strength at home against the Falcons.

For a long time, the Panthers were one of the most predictable teams. They had an above-average defense, and a poor offense. Now though, the reverse could happen. They imported WR Robert Meachem who is an improvement over the perennially disappointing Derek Hagan. While they passed on the better options, they did sign HB LeSean McCoy who should be an improvement over Reggie Bush running-wise. I think there's a chance that the offense could approach league-average range. Unfortunately, I am down on the defense. Just two seasons ago, this DL was one of the most elite in the game with Abdul Hodge, Luis Castillo, Claude Wroten, and Callahan Bright. Now only one remains, and only one was from retirement. They also replaced an above-average starting LB with a poor, first round disappointment. Combine that with the loss of Hall of Fame CB Adam Jones, and this defense looks really suspect, especially in run defense where they have to face two of the most efficient HBs in the league four teams in Matt Forte and Kestahn Moore. They also have to face the NFC East, which they don't match up well with any team as well as the Rams and Vikings because they won the division last season. If there's a way for the team to be in playoff contention this season, it will have to come through the offense, which is something that hasn't been the case since Daunte Culpepper was leading the team.

In my heart, the Lightning are at least my #2 choice for the division, but I am tired of picking them to win, so maybe if I pick them to finish last, they will end the league's second-longest playoff drought. QB Blake Bortles was great his first four games, had a terrible middle half, and then ended the season a strong note. He ultimately finished in the middle of the pack in passer rating, but level of inconsistency was alarming. It sucks that an offense with the OL that they have and two stars at skill positions in HB Kestahn Moore and WR Antonio Brown is still struggling to put points on the board with unreliable QB play. The defense though finished just outside the Top 10, and looks to be in even better shape this season as they replaced the weaker links with rookies with upside. Their first game is at home against the high-powered Seahawks, so that's a good test to see if this is a defense that is still on the rise. For a team with no injuries as of now, you would have liked for their bye to be a little further in the season, but what can you do. On paper, this team should be competing for the division, and given how everyone except the Bucs were vying for the division until the final weeks last season, they probably still can, but I am just tired of having my heart broken, so I will temper my expectations.
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KCF can't actually be a real person but he is - greengravy
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