NFL 2024 Division Previews; NFC South Edition; Falcons Jump to the Division Title, Panthers Remain at the Bottom

Over the next pair of months, I will be going through each division and giving an overall projection of how they could perform in the upcoming season. The record projection should be taken with a grain of salt as we are still months out before the season even starts and roster changes and injuries will occur in that time.

1) Atlanta Falcons – Projected Record 10-7

The Falcons had a real chance last season to win a very weak division, instead, they were plagued by poor play calling, poor quarterback play. Despite that though, they still do go 7-10, and sure they might’ve done worse in a better division but they can only play who’s in front of them. They have some real playmakers, especially on offense that they couldn’t properly utilize but this season they potentially can.

The Falcons decided to be aggressive when it comes to the quarterback position by signing Kirk Cousins who’s a proven quarterback with maybe not a whole lot of playoff success but it’s a team game and Cousins has had some impressive seasons. That being said they might’ve gone a bit too aggressive at the same position when they drafted Michael Penix Jr with the 8th pick overall in the draft. It’s an odd situation considering he’s already 24 years old and they just signed Cousins to a 4-year deal even if Cousins plays four about three years, he’ll be 27 by the time he starts. Regardless for this season, with all their weapons and should be much better QB play, and hopefully better play calling, they should lead the division.

2) Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Projected Record 8-9

There were not a whole lot of expectations for the Buccaneers going into the last season and then started their whole up-and-down stretches but ended on a good enough one to win the division at just 9-8 and sneak into the playoffs. Baker played way better than expected and looked a lot like his former self and their reliable playmakers were still making huge plays, the same goes for the defense.

For this season, their schedule seems a bit tougher this season as well as their best players continuing to get older, you’ve got to consider if they will continue to keep playing at the level they’re at or if some more regression is coming. If that regression comes with teams like Atlanta clearly improving, losing an extra game this year and ultimately missing the playoffs seems to be in play for the Bucs this year.  

3) New Orleans Saints – Projected Record 7-10

This Saints team feels very weird in the grand scheme of things. Last season they were incredibly average to below-average, uninspiring, unexciting, and just sort of a solid team in the division that should’ve been better than they were. Derek Carr isn’t getting any better and seems to slowly regressing and he’s already average at best. While Alvin Kamara is still a great running back and Chris Olave is incredibly talented, they need some more threats to make it easier on Carr and the offense overall.

After that throwaway season, the Saints are largely running it back with a lot of the same team and that does not add recipe for success. I do like their rookie class for the upcoming class, they scored big with Taliese Fuaga and Kool-Aid McKinstry but that’s not enough for a big jump so a slight decline to 7-10 seems to be in the cards.  

4) Carolina Panthers – Projected Record 4-13

Last season could not have gotten much worse than it did last season. A total of 2 wins throughout the entire season. The offense was such a mess and rookie quarterback Bryce Young did not receive any help in his growth and was thrown into one of the worst situations a #1 overall pick has ever gone to. Defensively they weren’t much better but they had a couple of good players on that side, none more than star pass rusher Brian Burns who is no longer in town. So how do they grow?

Now in terms of talent growth on the roster, there was not much on the defensive side which is concerning, they will probably be worse with the loss of Burns. Offensively, I do like a lot of the additions, and credit to the Panthers for actually trying to surround Bryce Young with some more weapons. Even if none of them are prototypical elite prospects, they added a lot of talent with Diontae Johnson and plenty of rookies at multiple positions. Due to that, I do see a solid increase to 4-13 which might not seem great but considering last season and their defensive roster, this is a decent improvement for the Panthers.