The 2014 season provided a year of mediocrity for the NFC South as a division, but the Carolina Panthers were the ones that survived and advanced to the postseason. Whether or not the division will be below average this season remains to be seen, but the NFC South has lost some of its key players to trade and/or injuries in the offseason and preseason. This division is one that is sure to provide strong, competitive play week in and week out, and there is a plethora of young talent waiting to show the world what they’ve got.
Atlanta Falcons (6-10)
Running back Stephen Jackson is no longer with Atlanta but they will now rely on rookie Tevin Coleman and Devonta Freeman to take pressure off of quarterback Matt Ryan and the passing game. Both running backs have the ability to have a successful 2015 campaign, and this is Freeman’s second season with the team. Freeman had a decent 2014 season and showed that he is a dual-threat running back for the Falcons. He rushed 65 times for 248 yards (3.8 AVG) and a touchdown as well as catching 30 passes for 225 yards and a touchdown.
Ryan has been a consistently above-average quarterback for the Falcons and he absolutely loves having wide receiver Julio Jones as a target down field. Who can blame him? Jones only played in 15 games last season and still amassed 104 receptions, 1,593 receiving yards and six touchdowns. While his touchdown total was lower than seasons past, many of his receptions came at big points of games, including in a 43-37 loss to the Green Bay Packers in December 2014 (11 receptions, 259 yards).
The biggest question mark for this team is their defense, which includes a mix of youth and veteran leadership in the secondary. The Falcons added a beast in Vic Beasley Jr. (Clemson) in the 2015 NFL Draft and he will help fire up the Falcons’ defense in 2015 with his big hits.
Carolina Panthers (7-8-1)
The Panthers were heading into the season with an opportunity to get back to the postseason in 2015. Those chances were greatly affected when second-year wide receiver Kelvin Benjamin tore his ACL during training camp several weeks ago. Rookie receiver Devin Funchess needs to step in for the Panthers this season, otherwise they could be at the bottom of the division looking up at everyone else. Jonathan Stewart steps in as the starting running back and Cam Newton will do his thing from the quarterback position.
The defense is led by Luke Kuechly who just signed a monster contract extension with the Panthers, and has been a mainstay for the Panthers’ D since being drafted in 2012. The secondary has the ability to shut down opposing NFC South offenses, but with two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL — Matt Ryan and Drew Brees — they will be tested once again.
The story of the season will have to be how the offense overcame adversity and injury to win games in 2015, but there is a chance that they will be hoping for the 2016 season by the half-way point of this season.
New Orleans Saints (7-9)
The Saints were a team that many fans expected more of last season and the 2015 season might continue that trend. While they aren’t on the level of the “Ain’ts” and paper bag wearing fans in the stands, this team needs to perform better than it did last year. It became a whole lot tougher when the Saints traded Jimmy Graham to the Seattle Seahawks, but they still have veteran tight end Benjamin Watson and backup tight end Josh Hill (filled in for Graham some in 2014).
Quarterback Drew Brees always plays at a level of 110 percent, but he found himself hurried quite a bit last season. In 2014 — with an injured Graham for a chunk of the season — Brees compiled 4,952 passing yards, 33 touchdowns and 17 interceptions. It remains to be seen how much of an impact the loss of Graham will be for Brees and the Saints.
Brandin Cooks seems to have accepted the fact that he needs to step up to the challenge of being a deep threat in New Orleans, as he has shown promise this preseason. The Saints also signed running back C.J. Spiller this offseason and he looks to provide a spark on offense–much like Darren Sproles did for the Saints.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-14)
The Jameis Winston era begins in Tampa this season and Bucs fans are hoping that he can help them forget the anemic Josh McCown led offense of 2014. Running back Doug Martin is hoping that he can regain his form from his rookie season this year, and Winston should help him do just that.
Tampa Bay has an above average receiving corps with Mike Evans and Vincent Jackson, but the offense needs tight end Austin Seferian-Jenkins to have a presence on the field for them to win. The NFC South is winnable by any of the teams within the division and the Buccaneers think that they have what it takes to take the division crown this season.
The Bucs defense is led by defensive tackle Gerald McCoy and linebacker Lavonte David, who both like bringing the pain to opposing offenses. If they can pressure the likes of Ryan and Brees consistently, all they can hope for is that their secondary can stay attached to receivers and force turnovers.
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