The NFC South is a wide open division in the NFL this year, with all four teams having a claim to be able to win it. Here’s a breakdown as to what they can do to win this division and make the playoffs.

New Orleans Saints: Trust Derek Carr, hope the defense holds

The Saints signed Derek Carr this offseason, and if the contract New Orleans gave him is any indication, they believe that Carr is the answer to winning the NFC South and getting themselves back to the playoffs. With the talent they have on both sides of the ball, it is very possible that Carr is all they need to run through the rest of the division. Carr is perennially one of the NFL’s most underrated passers, keeping pace with Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady last season in the race for the NFL’s passing title. With new weapons set around him, Carr could be set to do big things in the Big Easy. 

Carolina Panthers: Bryce Young booms, young defense shows its form

The Carolina Panthers made a gutsy move to trade up to the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft, and used that pick to select Alabama quarterback Bryce Young. This pick comes in hope that Carolina will be able to flourish under the leadership of Young, and will be led to the playoffs on the back of his play and their young defense coming into form. Carolina has drafted many defensive players with high picks in recent years, most notably cornerback Jaycee Horn in 2021 and defensive tackle Derrick Brown in 2020. Both players have shown flashes, but will need to become constant threats to offenses if Carolina wants to stake a claim at a playoff spot. 

Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Weapons carry the quarterback

Tampa Bay still has one of the best wide receiving duos in the league in Chris Godwin and Mike Evans, and while the rest of the team has lost a lot of depth in recent seasons, those two still are a major issue to scheme around defensively. If whoever Tampa Bay’s quarterback will be (Baker Mayfield or Kyle Trask) can keep the ball safe and spread it to those two weapons, Tampa will find themselves in the running for a third straight NFC South title.

Atlanta Falcons: Desmond Ridder takes a game manager role, lets his weapons do the work

The past three first round picks by the Falcons have all been spent on offensive weapons: Florida tight end Kyle Pitts in 2021, Southern California wide receiver Drake London in 2022, and most recently Texas running back Bijan Robinson in 2023. These are three difference makers whenever they’re on the field, and the combination of them will make life easy for whoever is passing the ball. If Atlanta’s offensive line doesn’t let Desmond Ridder down and he can keep the ball safe by minimizing turnovers, these offensive weapons will make it so that Ridder doesn’t have to make many hard throws or come up with clutch plays on the fly. The size of London and Pitts will make scoring in the red zone easy, and the routes of Pitts, London, and Robinson will make gaining yards a non-issue. The Falcons have all the pieces sitting in front of them, and if these four players can put it together behind an even decent defense, the Falcons will be the front runners to win the NFC South.