Who Will Win the Competitive NFC South? (POLL)

Don’t Assume the Falcons Will Win NFC South

Will the Atlanta Falcons win the NFC South in 2013? The numbers say no. (Credit Opertinicy)

Since the NFC South was formed in 2002, no team has won the division in consecutive seasons. In six of the last 11 years, the team that finished last in the NFC South one year went on to win the division in the next. In seven seasons, the last place team in the NFC South went on to reach the playoffs in the following year.

What does this all mean? It means that the NFC South is historically the most fluid, unpredictable division that the NFL has to offer. And it also means that despite going into the 2013 NFL season as heavy favorites, the Atlanta Falcons are statistically unlikely to win the division again this year.

Of course, if numbers never lie, then the Carolina Panthers are a better than 50% favorite to make the playoffs and/or win the NFC South. While that seems like a longshot by anyone’s estimation… well, this is the NFC South.

Welcome to the land of turmoil, population: Falcons, Bucs, Saints and Panthers.

The NFC South – toughest NFL division in 2013?

Top to bottom, the NFC South appears to be the most stacked division in the National Football League headed into the 2013 regular season. They may not be as top-heavy as the NFC West, or feature a highly touted team like the Denver Broncos or a historically dominant franchise like the Pittsburgh Steelers, and this causes the division to get buried a bit in media coverage.

But make no mistake, the team that wins the NFC South this year will have earned it. The Atlanta Falcons feature QB Matt Ryan, a much-improved pass rush, and arguably the best wide receiver tandem in the NFL (Julio Jones and Roddy White). The New Orleans Saints have Drew Brees and the most statistically dominant passing attack in the game. The Tampa Bay Bucs have stud sophomore RB Doug Martin, a solid front seven and newly signed Darrelle Revis. And the Carolina Panthers have a young phenom LB in Luke Kuechly and (apologies to Griffin, Wilson and the aging Michael Vick) the best dual-threat QB in the league in Cam Newton.

Want more proof of the NFC South’s competitiveness? Every team in the division went 3-3 against their division rivals in 2012. All of the Atlanta Falcons’ 3 losses (13-3 record) came against NFC South competition. The other three teams finished at 7-9 – all considered “disappointments”, by the way – making the NFC South the only division in the NFL to feature no teams 6-10 or worse.

The worst plus/minus point differential in the NFC South in 2012? That belonged to the New Orleans Saints… at -6. (That mark was better than 14 NFL teams, including the Indianapolis Colts, who made the playoffs.)

All 4 NFC South teams improved in the offseason

To make matters more interesting, no NFC South team can truly be considered worse off than they were in the 2012 season. Carolina grabbed two strong defensive linemen in the NFL Draft, Star Lotulelei and Kawann Short, and signed CB D.J. Moore to upgrade the secondary.

The Atlanta Falcons got TE Tony Gonzalez for another season, keeping the receiving corps intact and elite. Although they lost John Abraham to the Cardinals, they signed Osi Umenyiora. RB Steven Jackson comes in from St. Louis to replace Michael Turner. The Falcons also got a nice pair of cornerbacks in the NFL Draft, Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford. Finally, they signed Matt Ryan to a long-term extension.

The New Orleans Saints only had 5 draft picks, but their first was a stud – safety Kenny Vaccaro from Texas will help improve a porous pass defense. The Saints also brought in Victor Butler at LB and Keenan Lewis at DB. Of course, there are always Drew Brees, Jimmy Graham, Darren Sproles and Marques Colston to lead a feared offensive attack.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers made perhaps the splashiest offseason acquisition by adding All-Pro cornerback Darrelle Revis, and then backed that up by signing Dashon Goldson from the 49ers. In more recent news, former Madden cover boy Peyton Hillis was signed to back up wunderkind RB Doug Martin in the backfield. The Bucs used 4 of their 6 draft picks on the defensive side of the ball, including CB Johnthan Banks from Mississippi State.

So, who will win the NFC South?

For the specific answer to that question, you’re going to have to check back with SidelineMOB as we unveil our 2013 NFL predictions in the month of August. HOWEVER, we didn’t totally lead you on here.

Based on the depth of talent in the division, it seems likely (if not certain) that two NFC South teams will be making the playoffs this year. No team in the division is perfect, but the overall quality of these four teams give the division as a whole a competitive advantage over the other 3 divisions in the NFC.

For now, we’ll leave the opinions up to you, our faithful SidelineMOB readers. Take the poll, leave us comments, and answer one of the burning questions of the upcoming 2013 NFL season – who truly has the edge in the NFC South?

Related articles

• NFC South Predictions (letstalknfl.com)
• NFC South Position Rankings – Quarterback (thepewterplank.com)
• Who Is The Best Player In The NFC South? (thefalcoholic.com)