The NFC South was one of the worst divisions in the NFL, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were able to claim their second consecutive division title with a sub-.500 record. The New Orleans Saints are hoping to end that streak and get back on top of the NFC South, a division that had control of from the 2017 to the 2020 season. The NFC South will once again be up for grabs as all teams are still trying to find their sense of identity. The Saints have what it takes to win the division and make it back to the playoffs. Here is a look at how the New Orleans Saints stack up against the other NFC South foes.
How The Saints Stack Up Against Other NFC South Foes:
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Saints S Marcus Maye (6) – Cooper Neill/Getty Images
New Orleans has made it clear in the offseason that they want to improve their roster on both sides of the ball. The biggest offseason addition for the Saints has been adding Derek Carr as their QB1 moving forward and moving away from Andy Dalton. Other notable offensive additions include Foster Moreau, Jamaal Williams, and Bryan Edwards. Moreau and Edwards have experience playing with Carr, and New Orleans will be hoping that chemistry will continue in New Orleans.
Though the Saints were able to make some moves on the offensive side of the ball, New Orleans will have some question marks on defense. The Saints’ defensive line took a hit in free agency as they lost Marcus Davenport, David Onyemata, and Shy Tuttle. New Orleans was able to revamp their defensive front by adding Khalen Saunders and Nathan Shepherd. They were also able to add Bryan Bresee with their first-round pick in this year’s NFL Draft. Even with the losses to the defense, on paper, the Saints have the best roster in the NFC South when compared to their NFC South foes.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers:
There are a lot of question marks when looking at the NFC South as a whole, as Tampa Bay and Carolina will both be debuting new quarterbacks. The Buccaneers will be beginning their era after Tom Brady, and their quarterback competition continues to be a hot topic. Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask are the two main competitors in the race, but all signs seem to be pointing toward Mayfield getting the nod. There is still talent at the wide receiver position with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin.
The main concern for the Buccaneers’ offense is figuring out one of the league’s worst rushing offenses. They have the talent on defense to keep them afloat in this wide-open division, but the story to watch will be who gets the nod at starting quarterback.
Carolina Panthers:
Carolina, on the other hand, will be debuting their first overall pick in the draft, Bryce Young. The Panthers have gone through a quarterback carousel, similar to the Saints after the Drew Brees era. The Panthers look to be all in on Young heading into the 2023 season. With trading up for the No. 1 pick, they had to give up D.J. Moore, who was one of their best wide receivers on the roster. They will now turn their attention to Terrace Marshall Jr. and DJ Chark as their top two wide receiver options.
They were able to add some more pieces for Young as they brought in Adam Thielen, Hayden Hurst, and Jonathan Mingo. Carolina will also be under new management as Frank Reich will enter his first year with the franchise, and their defense has some room for improvement.
Atlanta Falcons:
The Falcons have similar questions to answer as Marcus Mariota is no longer on their roster, and Desmond Ridder will be their signal caller heading into the 2023 season. There is young talent on their offense with Kyle Pitts, Drake London, and Bijan Robinson. Robinson will definitely be a player to watch, as Arthur Smith has shown that he wants to run the football. Atlanta has the third-most efficient offense in the NFL in 2022, and they are looking to stay steady heading into this season.
The Falcons will have a new look on defense as Ryan Nielsen is now their defensive coordinator after Dean Pees retired. Atlanta made it their focus to revamp their defense heading into the offseason, and they were able to be successful in adding viable options.
2023 New Orleans Saints NFC South Prediction
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Saints TE Taysom Hill (7) – Wesley Hitt/Getty Images
The Panthers, Saints, and Falcons all finished the 2022 season with a 7-10 record, and all will be gunning to dethrone the Buccaneers. Every team has a chance in this wide-open NFC South heading into this season, as every team isn’t perfect and has some question marks. The Saints will open up their NFC South schedule on the road in week two as they take on the Carolina Panthers on Monday Night.
Carolina always gives the Saints fits, especially at their place, so the Saints will open up the NFC South 0-1. The next NFC South opponent comes in week four, as the Saints will host the Buccaneers. With the question marks at the quarterback spot, New Orleans gets the best of Tampa Bay to move their divisional record to 1-1.
Next up on the divisional schedule is the Falcons in week 12, as the Saints are fresh off of the bye week in week 11. New Orleans was able to sweep Atlanta last season, but this time the Falcons get a leg up in the division race with a win at home over New Orleans. The Saints’ record in the division falls to 1-2 after their week 12 contest with the Falcons. The Saints and Panthers meet up again in week 14 to finish up their series for the year. This time, New Orleans gets the best of Carolina to even up their divisional record at 2-2.
New Orleans closes out the 2023 regular season with back-to-back meetings against NFC South foes as they take on the Buccaneers in week 17 and the Falcons in week 18. The Saints go on to sweep the Buccaneers in the season series and get revenge on the earlier season loss to Atlanta to wrap up their regular season. The black and gold finish up the NFC South with a 4-2 record and will be good enough to get back on top of the NFC South.