Dirty Birds Done Dirt Cheap (2025 NFC South Preview)

For the last decade or so, the NFC South has been a very ugly division, but it's also entertaining. I figured out why I tend to be entertained by the NFC South so much: it's because three-quarters of the division was part of the old geographically incorrect NFC West. The division also has the distinction of being the only one out of the eight which completely consists of teams who debuted during the Super Bowl era, with the Falcons celebrating their 60th season this year.

The NFC South storylines are quite intriguing, and they are as follows:

New Orleans Saints (5-12)

What an absolute decline for the Saints. In 2023, they were very close to a playoff spot. Hell, they were very close to winning the division. The Saints won on the final week of 2023 to keep hope alive, but the Bucs won to take the division, and the Packers won to nab the last playoff spot. Eliminated on the final week is never anything to disrespect. Not only did the Saints make it to the end of 2023, they won on the final week, only to be eliminated by outside factors. Shit happens.

However, 2024? Oh boy. Started 2-0, but that was followed by a seven-game losing streak that got Dennis Allen fired as head coach. Saints ended up finishing 5-12, ended up in the bottom of the division via tiebreaker. Even worse: the only shutout game of 2024? The Saints were on the losing end of that shutout. Worse than that, the team who shut them out? The Packers. The Packers can't shutout teams. The Saints have a new HC now, and it's Kellen Moore. Yes, that Kellen Moore, he of the years with the Cowboys being dicked around with promises from Jerry Jones that he'd be their new HC soon, promises that were never fulfilled, so he went to the Chargers in '23 as their OC, and spent last year as the Eagles OC. So he has a ring. We'll see how he does in New Orleans, which is where SB59 took place.

Carolina Panthers (5-12)

A three-game improvement, and they avoid last place via the Strength of Victory tiebreaker? That's a cause for celebration for the Carolina Panthers. I'm not being sarcastic when I say that. Small improvements like that, if responded well, can lead to big things. 2023 was the season from hell for Carolina. Two wins all season, and Bryce Young, their #1 draft pick, was putrid. Last season saw Young benched for a few weeks, but he still received most of the starts, and he was playing with nearly all of the potential that was expected of him. Of the Panthers' five wins, three of them were in overtime. That's key. That shows some clutch play right there. I still expect no playoffs for the Panthers, but if the improvement continues, maybe we see them make things interesting this year with the possibility of playoffs next year?

Atlanta Falcons (8-9)

The Atlanta Falcons still... still... have not recovered from 28-3. They've still only made the playoffs once following that embarrassing collapse, and that was in that following season, 2017, which is also the last time they had a winning record. The Falcons looked like they were ready last year. They had a solid QB, a new coach, and they had a 6-3 start. Instead, they fell off, losing six of their final eight games, the last two in embarrassing fashion, they lost the division to a team they beat twice, and they made me look like an idiot when Kirk Cousins ended up losing his starting job about a week after he was pummeled by his old team. The Atlanta Falcons are a walking shitshow, and from the looks of it, Michael Penix, Jr. will be under center for the rest of the way, while the team shells out a load of moolah to Cousins to be a backup. Nice money if you can get it.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7)

Yes, the Buccaneers have spent the last our years winning this division by default. Yes, the Bucs were the only home team to lose in last year's Wild Card Weekend. Such is life when the division you win isn't that strong. However, the Bucs are a strong team regardless. Baker Mayfield really has grown into the franchise QB that many doubted he'd be. I truly think that he has evolved from his up-and-down years in Cleveland, and has become one of the most underrated QBs in the league right now. The Bucs will be on top of the South again, especially since Chris Godwin, one of their top receivers, will be back from a season ending injury. Godwin and Mike Evans are quite the two-headed monster at WR, and they'll definitely keep the Bucs atop the South for a good bit.

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The NFC South is quite the division. Messy, yes, but it definitely has its moments. I sense a very interesting 2025 campaign for the NFC South, and the division games will be absolutely amazing!