NFC South Predictions

Opening week is wrapping up, there have been some unexpected turn of events and upsets with Buffalo taking down Chicago and the Patriots sitting in last place in the AFC East for the first time since Brady took over after their loss to Miami for example. But in the NFC South, week one was all about division match ups. Carolina visited Tampa Bay while the Saints went into Atlanta to face the Falcons. The Panthers were looking good through the preseason until Cam newton ran into injury issues. From ankle surgery in the offseason to his rib fracture, Newton was not were the Panthers wanted him to be by game one. So to be safe the Panthers sat him against the Buccaneers, Newton did everything he could to be a part of the game however, even running out to be a part of the huddle. The Panthers turned to Derek Anderson to start in the QB position. He had a good game finding TE Olsen for one of his two touchdowns, as the Panthers took it 20-14. Newton is expected to return in week two to take on Lions, but he did miss some time with his injury and with a new offensive line and a whole new group of WRs, Newton may not have had enough time to adjust to his new team. The key to Carolina though is their defense lead by Luke Kuechly. Their defense did well holing the Buccaneers to only two successful drives, but they need that consistency in order to give Newton time to get to know his offense better. The Panthers don't have an easy schedule, as the next ten weeks are against teams you wouldn't be surprised to see in the playoffs.  With their bye in week 12, the Panthers have a good wait before their rest, I expect the Panthers to go 9-7 making a push for a wildcard spot.
The Buccaneers are looking to 35 year old Josh McCown to lead their offense, he had two touchdown passes in their match against Carolina, but also threw two interceptions and only picked up 162 yards passing. The Buccaneers appear to need to look to running back Doug Martin to be the player he was two years ago. But yet again he has had a slow start, only picking up nine yards in nine attempts with a long of four yards. If Tampa Bay wants to have a successful season, they will need more production from both sides of their offense. They have a tough schedule taking on Green Bay and the rest of the NFC North, not to mention two games against Drew Brees and the Saints, the now healthy offense of the Falcons, and another match up against Carolina. Expectations were set a bit high in my opinion for the Bucs, as many claimed them to be a wildcard winner, but I think they will go 7-9.

The New Orleans Saints had an intense offensive game against the Falcons in week one, as the Saints took a 20-10 lead into the half but lost it in overtime 37-34. Though they have an 0-1 start, I do not think there is to much to worry about for New Orleans, they just need their defense to hold better in the second half. But their offense still looks unstoppable, as Brees may have only thrown for one touchdown pass, but still got 333 yards in the air. Look for Brees to find Graham and Colston in the enzone throughout the season, as those two lead the team in receiving yards. The guy who was a bit of a surprise for New Orleans was Brandin Cooks, the rookie picked up 77 yards receiving and 18 yards rushing on one attempt along with a touchdown, as he looks to be a big piece of the Saints offense for the future. With Ingram, Thomas, and Robinson in the running game, the Saints have a plenty of options to come up with solutions throughout the games on the offensive side. I expect the Saints to end up going 10-6, as they take on Cleveland, Minnesota, and Dallas over the next three weeks where they should add three wins to their record easily.
Finally the Atlanta Falcons are looking for a bounce back season after their 3-13 record last year. They suffered multiple injuries with both Roddy White and Julio Jones getting knocked out for the season. Having those two back, along with the addition of Devin Hester the Falcons offense looks powerful and showed their strength out scoring Drew Brees. Matt Ryan threw for 448 yards and three touchdowns, including one to White and Jones was his leading receiver with 116 yards. The Falcons weakness this season will be their defensive line, as they did not record any sacks against New Orleans. They need to be able to apply more pressure as they will not always be able to out score their  opponents. They came away with the win thanks to a long 52 yard field goal by Bryant, who went 3-3 in the game. WIth the Falcons tough schedule, I expect them to pull out a 9-7 record due to a brutal five last weeks that will make or break their playoff chances.