Tompa Bay is no more. There’s a new crew in Carolina. The Saints have a new quarterback but the same old Taysom Hill problem. The Falcons have a new defensive coordinator and big hopes. Who will make the most of the opportunity to fill the TB12-shaped hole atop the NFC South though?<\/p>\n
Kyle Pitts<\/a>, Drake London<\/a>, Cordarrelle Patterson<\/a>, and Desmond Ridder<\/a> (or maybe Lamar Jackson<\/a> if you believe the rumor mill). They certainly have the makings of a dynamic offense. With Arthur Smith at the helm, their total should exceed the sum of the parts. Atlanta should be the favorite to win the NFC South in 2023.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n In 2022 the Falcons run game was one of the strongest in the league. Their 4.9 yards per attempt was fourth in the NFL. Only the Bears and Ravens (who have two of the most gifted running quarterbacks the NFL has ever seen) averaged more yards per game. They averaged 159.9 run yards per game! They ended the 2022 season with the 10<\/span>th<\/span> most rushing touchdowns. As a whole, their offense only converted 55.6% of their red zone visits to touchdowns, the 15th-best<\/span>\u00a0rate in the league. They need to improve how clinical they are next season.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Their touchdown pass rate of 4.1% was the 17<\/span>th<\/span> best in the league last season but only two teams threw fewer interceptions. They finished 12<\/span>th<\/span> in the league for the number of sacks they allowed with 37. There’s definitely a solid base to work from when it comes to improving their touchdown percentage.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Defensively Atlanta was poor last season, but they\u2019ve got a new defensive coordinator this time around. Ryan Nielsen arrives from New Orleans where he had been the defensive line coach. The Falcons major failing on defense last season was the number of penalties they conceded. They conceded 100, the same number as the Bengals and Packers and the 7<\/span>th<\/span> highest number in the league. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Ok, so they haven\u2019t got a quarterback or a Christian McCaffrey. But here\u2019s what they have got, a Frank Reich, a Duce Staley, a Josh McCown<\/a>, Ejiro Evero<\/a>, and Dom Capers all on their coaching staff. Oh, and the 9<\/span>th<\/span> pick in the draft. Along with David Tepper\u2019s incredibly deep pockets (which are somewhat irrelevant in a salary-capped league. Why do you think Steve Cohen bought a baseball team?). All those components should see them battling for the NFC South title.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Technically Frank Reich getting the job was a bit odd. Steve Wilks<\/a> drastically improved a poor team. Under his leadership, they went 6-6. That was very impressive considering Carolina traded away two of their best players and cut Baker Mayfield during the season. Wilks has taken over from DeMeco Ryans in San Francisco now so it all sort of worked out fine.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n By the end of last season, the Panthers’ rushing attack was quite good. They ranked 10<\/span>th<\/span> for rushing yards and 11<\/span>th<\/span> for rushing touchdowns. The passing offense was an area of weakness though which is probably why they have a former quarterback as their head coach now. It\u2019s definitely why they\u2019re aggressively looking for a new quarterback.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The defense wasn\u2019t very good in 2022 but the run defense was ranked 12<\/span>th<\/span> in terms of yards allowed per carry. They conceded the 19<\/span>th<\/span> most points last season but were ranked 21<\/span>st<\/span> for rushing touchdowns allowed and 19<\/span>th<\/span> in terms of the number of touchdown passes they conceded. Ejiro Evero has certainly got a job on his hands, but his Broncos only allowed 32 touchdowns\u00a0in what was a disastrous season in Colorado. Last season the Panthers conceded 42 total touchdowns so Evero should easily be able to improve that. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n The only thing keeping the Buccaneers off the bottom of the NFC South is the Saints decision to keep Dennis Allen as head coach and reunite him with Derek Carr. Whoever ends up playing quarterback in Tampa will have a supporting cast around him. They\u2019ve got a few decisions to make on defense, but the offense is another running back away from being a powerhouse in the division.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Even in a poor season by their recent standards, they were still ranked 2<\/span>nd<\/span> for passing yards, 9<\/span>th<\/span> for touchdown passes, and 15<\/span>th<\/span> for total\u00a0yards in 2022. The running game was not good at all though (that\u2019s why they threw the ball so much) they were ranked 32<\/span>nd<\/span> for rushing yards and touchdowns. Someone to share the load with Rachaad White<\/a> and a healthy Ryan Jensen<\/a> will improve that though.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 16 of the Buccaneers 2022 defense will hit free agency so they will need to freshen that unit up a bit with some rookies. The Buccaneers\u2019 defense was odd last year, they were ranked 9<\/span>th<\/span> for the number of passing yards they allowed but 28<\/span>th<\/span> after allowing 29 passing touchdowns. Their run defense was more consistent, but not especially great. They were ranked 15<\/span>th<\/span> in the league for the number of yards they allowed and 10<\/span>th<\/span> for the number of touchdowns they conceded. <\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe “Give It a Season To Bed In” Team The Carolina Panthers<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
The “Maybe Next Year” Tampa Bay Buccaneers<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n
NFC South Cellar Dwellers New Orleans Saints<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/h3>\n