2019 NFC South Preview

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Over the course of the next few weeks, leading up the kickoff of the 2019 NFL season, I’ll be looking around the grand landscape of the league. We’ll preview all 32 teams, division by division – up first, it’s the NFC South.

Atlanta Falcons

For the third year in a a row, we’re all asking “how do the Atlanta Falcons get back to their Super Bowl ways?” Each season that’s passed, more questions arise, and at times, it’s looked like that window has flat out closed.

2019 may be different, though. Dan Quinn has popped up on many a list for ‘NFL coaches on the hot seat,’ but I think that’s still a little premature. The Falcons fired both coordinators. Quinn, architect of those great Seattle Seahawks defenses that went to back-to-back Super Bowls, is now taking control of the defense. Dirk Koetter was hired as offensive coordinator. With experience at the head coaching level, I imagine Koetter will be a more hands-on coordinator, freeing Quinn up to take on DC duties. This coaching overhaul is a good thing for the Falcons.

On offense, this is a loaded unit that should make for one of the league’s best offenses. Matt Ryan had a damn good stat line in 2018 – 4,924 yards, 35 touchdowns to seven interceptions, and a passer rating of 108.1 (4th in the league). He’s still playing at MVP levels, and as long as Julio Jones is around, those two are going to put points on the board. But, with Calvin Ridley and Mohamed Sanu rounding out the receiving corps, the Falcons passing attack should be as lethal as ever.

For some reason, though, the Falcons wouldn’t commit to running the ball. 11 different players registered a carry in 2018 – that grand rushing total? It comes out to 351 attempts as a team. Ezekiel Elliott had 304 carries on his own. Tevin Coleman averaged 4.8 yards per carry – yet, they wouldn’t hand him the ball more. Now, he’s in San Francisco, and the Falcons have some sorting out to do. They made significant investments in the offensive line, spending two first round draft picks on guard Chris Lindstrom and tackle Kaleb McGary back in the spring. Both should be upgrades to the offensive line. The Falcons need to commit to the running game to become a more well-rounded offense and not rely upon the arm of Ryan so heavily in 2019.

On defense, the Falcons had one of the worst units of 2018. But, there’s some really underrated talent on this defense. Grady Jarrett is overlooked in the national defensive tackle conversation, but is an outright force along the front seven. Takk McKinley led the team in sacks last season with seven. Deion Jones is one of the best linebackers in all of football. If they can get everyone healthy and on the same page, this could be a surprise defense in 2019.

Prediction: A high-powered offense makes the Falcons a real dark horse in the NFC this year. They have the tools to hang with the Saints and the Rams in the conference. An underrated defense, though, is what saves them a game here and there and ultimately gets them back into the playoffs.

Carolina Panthers

Things appeared to be all gravy in Charlotte a season ago, when the Carolina Panthers started the season 6-2. Hell, I even called ’em a dark horse contender for a Super Bowl. But, they’d proceed to lose seven straight games and ultimately finish 7-9, missing the playoffs.

Talk about Cam Newton all you want, that Panthers offense flows through superstar running back Christian McCaffrey. Don’t get me wrong – Newton’s dynamic ability to run the ball makes this Panthers rushing attack lethal. But, McCaffrey is the bell cow. He does it all: rushing, receiving, hell, he even passed for a touchdown in 2018. McCaffrey had 1,098 rushing yards and 867 receiving yards last season. He led the team in both categories in 2018. No doubt he’ll be eyeing the 2,000-yard mark in 2019, and the Panthers may need him to hit that if they have any hope of being competitive.

Other than a returning Greg Olsen, there’s not a whole lot to be excited about in the Panthers passing game. Maybe D.J. Moore or Curtis Samuel develop into a #1 wide receiver, but sitting here in August, it’s hard to suggest that confidently. And, adding Chris Hogan ain’t gonna do the trick, folks. This team needs a shot in the arm at the receiver position.

The Panthers fielded a completely bland, middle-of-the-road defense in 2018. Kind of like the offense, they one guy who is among the best in the NFL at his position: Luke Kuechly. But, he’s not enough. The Panthers drafted Brian Burns and Christian Miller, but is it reasonable to expect both guys to make a difference right away? Can Rashaan Gaulden and Donte Jackson play more consistently in the secondary? A lot of questions outside of Kuechly. No matter how you slice it, it’s looking like more “middle of the road” on defense as we sit here in August.

Prediction: The Panthers take a major step back. There’s been virtually no development of a vertical passing game, and there’s too many question marks on defense for this team to compete in a division with the Falcons and the Saints. I expect the Panthers to be fending off the Bucs to stay out of the NFC South basement in 2019.

New Orleans Saints

The New Orleans Saints were my pick to win it all in 2018, but it simply wasn’t to be. If they aren’t hit with that horrible no-call in the NFC Championship, maybe we’re singing a different tune.

The arm of Drew Brees may be beginning to slow down, but he’s as good as he’s ever been when it comes to the cerebral aspects of the game. His 74.4% completion percentage led the NFL in 2018. With weapons like Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas at his disposal, don’t expect Brees to slow down too much in 2019. I love the addition of tight end Jared Cook, and think he could be poised to become one of the best tight ends in the game this season. Behind one of the best offensive lines in the NFL, this Saints offense should be a juggernaut yet again.

The Saints fielded one of the best run defenses in the NFL last season, but that secondary was streaky….and that’s putting it nicely. Marshon Lattimore and Eli Apple make for quite the formidable cornerback duo, and could become one of the best in the league. They just need to put the production on the field to complete this defense. The Saints have a potentially dominant defensive line, where ageless wonder Cam Jordan led the team in sacks a season ago with 12. If the secondary steps up, this could be one of the best defenses in the NFL in 2019.

Prediction: This Saints team shouldn’t just be the favorite in the NFC South. They should be the favorite in the entire NFC. They were one of the best teams in 2018, and look even better heading into 2019. This team undoubtedly has Super Bowl aspirations and could bring the Lombardi Trophy to New Orleans in February.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

There was plenty of overhaul in Tampa after the Tampa Bay Buccaneers went 5-11 in 2018. But, if you take a look at their schedule, you’ll find that they might not have been as bad as that record indicates. Seven of their 11 losses were single possession games. This team certainly had the offense to win nine games and be competitive, but the defense was one of the worst in the league, allowing 29 points per game (Oakland was the only team worse, allowing 29.2 points per game). Because of it, heads rolled. Bruce Arians is out of retirement and in at head coach. He’s proven to be a strong leader of men and an offensive guru.

Not that the offense necessarily needed saving. Jameis Winston has a ton of potential, but we’re approaching “shit or get off the pot” territory with him. With that slew of weapons on offense, there’s no reason to think he’s NOT going to post numbers. Mike Evans is one of the best receivers in the game. Arians seems sold on Peyton Barber at running back, but I’m not sure he can be #TheGuy. The most interesting move on the offensive side of the ball was undoubtedly the Bucs bringing in Byron Leftwich to serve as offensive coordinator. He’s going to be the one calling the plays. This unit was third in the league in total offense in 2018 – imagine what they can do with a Winston that isn’t serving suspensions or hurt, and a guy like Arians coaching ’em up in 2019?

The defense has changed to a more aggressive, hybrid scheme under new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles. Honestly, bringing in Bowles to shape up that abysmal unit may be the best move the Bucs made all offseason. The team also signed Ndamukong Suh, and are hoping for a breakout year from Vita Vea, who showed some progress late in 2018 after struggling with a calf injury early on. The Bucs went H E A V Y on defense in the draft, but coming away with Devin White was a steal (if you’re of the opinion that he could end up being the best player out of this year’s draft…like I am) after losing Kwon Alexander to the San Francisco 49ers. A lot of draft capital went into fortifying the secondary, too, so it should be an improved unit overall.

Prediction: Another year of good offense should keep this team in games, simply because they can score points with anybody. Re-tooling the defense is what’s going to make the biggest difference for this team in 2019, but perhaps no addition was more important than that of Bowles. This should be a scrappy team that hovers around .500, and could potentially push for a playoff spot. They could push the Panthers into the NFC South basement this year.

Projected finish

  1. New Orleans Saints
  2. Atlanta Falcons
  3. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  4. Carolina Panthers

2019 NFL DIVISIONAL PREVIEWS

Coming soon

Stoney Keeley is the Editor in Chief of The SoBros Network. He is a strong supporter of Team GSD and #BeBetter. “Big Natural” covers the Tennessee Titans, Nashville, and a whole wealth of nonsense. Follow on Twitter @StoneyKeeley

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