Birds of Prey (NFC South Preview)
Previewing the NFC South entering the 2024 season
You know how people love watching NASCAR for the crashes? And how people love watching hockey for the fights? Also, you know that movie or show that is absolutely awful, yet you can't bring yourself to get away from it? That's the NFC South. The NFC South has been the trainwreck of trainwrecks for the last two seasons now. In each of the last two years, it's only taken nine wins to take the division, and the team leading the division has had a losing record two-thirds into the season both times.
Yet despite how embarrassingly putrid this division has been, we just can't quit it. So what will 2024 give us?
Carolina Panthers (2-15)
Daffy Duck's last line in Daffy Duck's Quackbusters (before he lost it all) comes to mind in regards to the Carolina Panthers: "One thing's for sure: they have nowhere else to go but up." I honestly thought that the Panthers would kick ass in 2023. They actually went on a winning stretch even after trading Christian McCaffrey to the Niners. They acquired the #1 pick from the Bears in a trade, and they drafted QB Bryce Young. The result: two wins. All season. And their 1st rounder that they gave to the Bears? It became the #1 overall pick as a result.
If there was any consolation to the Panthers' disaster of a season, it's that both wins were pretty key. One was a division win, and the other was against CJ Stroud and the Texans. So there's that. Without ties, there are only two records worse than 2-15, and I definitely can't see the Panthers being a one win team (again) or even going the futile route in 2024. So I definitely see them finishing with a better tally in 2024, but not by too much.
Atlanta Falcons (7-10)
The road to rise above 28-3 has now reached Year Eight, and it's been tough for the Atlanta Falcons. Only one playoff appearance since 28-3, and it came the year after. The team fired Arthur Smith as their head coach after three straight 7-10 seasons. Ironically, because the division is so terrible, the Falcons actually entered the final week with a chance to finish first with a losing record, but they came up short again. They did hire Raheem Morris as their HC, marking a return to the team, as he briefly served as the team's interim HC in 2020.
But that's not the biggest news from the Falcons' offseason. The team now has a QB: Kirk Cousins. That's a very big acquisition right there. Because of this, I honestly think that the NFC South is Atlanta's to lose. The Falcons have some promise for several seasons now. That promise often does lead to something good. Plus, well, Cousins does know how to beat the Saints. I would not be shocked if the Falcons take the division this year.
New Orleans Saints (9-8)
You know, the New Orleans Saints are quite a strange team. Nobody knows what to think about them. If I say, "This team absolutely sucks," it can easily be countered with, "Yeah, but..." If I say, "This team is good enough to make the playoffs," it can easily be countered with, "Yeah, but..." Last year was interesting for the Saints. Despite their Jekyll-and-Hyde 2023, they did have a shot at the playoffs, either the division or a Wild Card. A win kept hope alive, but Tampa Bay's win forced the Saints to hope that the Bears would pull off an upset in Lambeau. That did not happen.
This will be Year Four after Drew Brees' retirement, Year Three of the post-Sean Payton era, and their second year with Derek Carr as their QB. The promise is there from the Saints, but will they cross that playoff threshold in 2024? For that to happen, they can't keep being up-and-down. Even in a weakened NFC, it won't work.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (9-8)
I'd like to thank Baker Mayfield for showing how overrated Tom Brady is. After all, Mayfield did better with that same team in 2023 than Brady did in 2022. I've said for years that Baker Mayfield's better than people perceive him to be. Has he had some bad games? Yes. My problem is that people act like he's all that he is. He's not. Ask any Packers fan. All Mayfield did in his trip to Lambeau is leave there with a perfect QB rating. That's all. In addition, Mayfield won a playoff game against an Eagles team who was looking get back to the Super Bowl, and even in defeat in that Divisional Playoff against Detroit, Mayfield held his own.
With that said, there is a chance that the Bucs may decline just a tad. With the Falcons getting Cousins, there is a possibility that the Bucs may be knocked off the NFC South pedestal that they've held for the last three years. However, they still could be a Wild Card team; they were alive for both the division and a Wild Card position in the final week of last year. We will definitely see how the Bucs fare this upcoming season.
* * *
The NFC South is a journey for sure. The division's games are always interesting, especially late in the season. With the NFC South being a mess, it's usually division title or bust, and from the looks of it, we could get that same thing again. Or, maybe, we see two South teams cross that playoff line and stay there. I know this much: the NFC South will give us a lot of wild and crazy moments in 2024.
About the Creator
Clyde E. Dawkins
I'm a big sports fan, especially hockey, and I've been a fan of villainesses since I was eight! My favorite shows are The Simpsons and Family Guy, etc.
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Comments (2)
Thanks for the review and analysis
Thank you so very much for this preview.