Week 1 is finally upon us! The Falcons play football in approximately 48 hours, which is awesome. Before that, however, it might be a good idea to check in on our greatest competition: our rivals in the NFC South. This is a division that sent three teams to the playoffs in 2017, which is a pretty incredible feat in a stacked conference. Is that likely to happen again in 2018, and who ends up on top when the dust clears? Check out my predictions and thoughts on the other teams below.
For reference, here is how the division finished in 2017:
New Orleans Saints* 11-5
Carolina Panthers* 11-5
Atlanta Falcons* 10-6
Tampa Bay Buccaneers 5-11
New Orleans Saints
2017 Record: 11-5
2018 Projection: 10-6
Major Additions: EDGE Marcus Davenport (draft), CB Patrick Robinson (FA), LB Demario Davis (FA), S Kurt Coleman (FA), TE Benjamin Watson (FA), QB Teddy Bridgewater (trade)
Major Losses: S Kenny Vaccaro, OL Senio Kelemete, CB Delvin Breaux, WR Willie Snead, QB Chase Daniel
The Saints were among the NFC’s best teams in 2017, and the trend is likely to continue in 2018.