The Intrigue of the NFC South

I've always been intrigued and entertained by the National Football Conference's Southern Division. The NFC South was created as part of the 2002 NFL division realignment, and regarding this division, the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, and New Orleans Saints were taken from the geographically incorrect NFC West, and placed with the NFC Central's Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This division has been interesting from the very beginning, and there's one reason for that: it's very wide open.

The other seven divisions have had a dominant team that has had a stranglehold over the other rivals. The AFC East was terrorized by the Brady/Belichick Patriots for eons. The Packers have been the gold standard of the NFC North. At the moment, it's the Chiefs dominating the AFC West. But the NFC South has seen that proverbial baton passed around quite a bit. The New Orleans Saints are coming off their fourth straight NFC South crown, which is actually the longest streak in the division's two-decade history.

However, there will be a changing of the guard, as for the first time in 16 seasons, Drew Brees will not be at quarterback. It is between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill right now, and honestly, if I'm Sean Peyton, I'd start Winston at QB. The reason is simple; while Hill might be the better option, he's also a proverbial Swiss-army knife. He can throw the ball, run it, catch it, and even block; he's basically what Kordell Stewart was back in the early to mid-1990s for the Steelers. Thing is, you don't want that novelty to wear off. If Hill starts, he'll be figured out and possibly exposed, and that could be trouble. We know about Winston's problems with turnovers; he actually threw thirty interceptions in his last season with the Buccaneers. I think nearly a third of them were Pick Sixes. Even so, this could be the chance Winston needs to prove he's more than just turnovers. It'll be a bit tougher for the Saints, especially with Michael Thomas out for the first six games of the season.

Now, let's talk about the Tampa Bay Buccaneers--the Super Bowl Champion Buccaneers. It's been a year, but I still cannot believe that Tom Brady is not in a Patriots uniform; I had him retiring as a Patriot. Now, not only is he a Buccaneer, and in the more superior NFC, but he won a ring--a seventh one. And with the Saints being knocked down a few pegs, it's safe to say that the Bucs will be the class of the South until Brady hangs it up himself. It should still be close between the Buccaneers and the Saints in that division. Saints have the high powered offense, but the Bucs have a very strong defense--always have, I still remember them as a defensive juggernaut back when they were in the old NFC Central. The head-to-head matchups take place on October 31 (in NO) and December 19 (in TB). The Saints actually swept the series last year, but the Bucs beat them when it really counted: January.

I'll be honest, I knew the time would come when the Atlanta Falcons would move on from Julio Jones, but even when it came, I still couldn't believe it. The Falcons, for all intents and purposes, are really starting over. It started during the 2020 season when they fired then-head coach Dan Quinn and general manager Thomas Dimitroff, though many say those firings should have happened at least a season earlier. This team (and I apologize to any and all Falcons fans reading this) is still reeling from that Super Bowl collapse that has turned the team into a walking meme. Even worse: 2020 saw them blow double-digit leads on three different occasions, including back-to-back in Week 2 and Week 3. With a new head coach in Arthur Smith, and the team in "start over" mode, I really don't know what to expect from the Falcons in 2021. I know this, the division games involving the Falcons will be good ones--they always are.

Last but not least, the Carolina Panthers. For some reason, the Panthers decided to move on from Teddy Bridgewater and take Sam Darnold off the hands of the New York Jets. I really don't know about that move. I'm not going to bring up the "seeing ghosts" thing; frankly, that joke is just too old and tired. But even without that, Darnold is a huge question mark. However, optimists would say that this change in scenery could help Darnold--remember, he played under Adam Gase, who was completely toxic to the Jets. Just ask Le'Veon Bell. The glaring question for the Panthers is the same one as last year, and the year before: can Christian McCaffrey stay healthy? Each of the last two seasons has seen the man dubbed "Run CMC" being sidelined due to injury after a few games into the season, and it's mainly due to being overworked. The Panthers don't really have anything resembling a key WR1, so CMC has to do a lot of heavy lifting, and that takes a toll. I really hope he does stay healthy this year; CMC is truly a joy to watch.

In all, the NFC South will, again, be a division of absolute intrigue this season. The Buccaneers are expected to take the division this year, but who really knows when it comes to the NFC South?

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