The NFC South is never the most dominant division in the NFL, but it’s always going to be an entertaining one, as no one knows which team will win.
For the past three seasons, the NFC South crown has been won by Tampa Bay and the Buccaneers, who will be looking to win their fourth consecutive title in 2024. However, a lot has changed in those three years, with Tom Brady leaving along with many other players and Baker Mayfield joining the team.
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Despite changes happening throughout the organization, things remain the same for Tampa Bay, and as a result, they are the top dogs in the NFC South unless another team proves otherwise. This offseason, the entire division is focused on improving for the 2023 season, and one team in particular took the courage away from the Buccaneers as the preseason favorite to win the division: the Atlanta Falcons.
The Falcons, under new head coach Raheem Morris, have risen to the occasion as slight favorites after signing veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency. The Saints and Panthers are also still in the running, but they are considered on the outside looking in as the Buccaneers have maintained much of their performance from last year.
With many still deciding to root for the preseason favorites, the Falcons, Sports Illustrated NFL insider Albert Breer answered a question posed by Buccaneers fan Josh about who will win the NFC South.
“Josh, when we did the podcast, I chose the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and I plan to stick with that. The Buccaneers have too much history of winning with different quarterbacks, different coaches, different offenses, and they’ve continued to replenish their roster even as stars have left the team over the last few years.”
They got a different Baker Mayfield, one who has thrived through the experiences and hardships of Cleveland and Carolina, and a coordinator in Liam Cohen who is returning to the NFL with something to prove. Cohen grew up under Sean McVay, the OC who called Mayfield an emergency manager at the end of the 2022 season with the Rams.
Are the Buccaneers perfect? No. They need to prove they can handle themselves at cornerback after trading Carlton Davis III and their young pass rushers need to step up. But other teams in the division have shortcomings, so I expect Tampa to win four straight games.
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The Buccaneers will have a tough task ahead of them as they face a tough schedule again after winning the division last year, but the NFC South remains one of the weaker divisions in football, which should make their chances of making the playoffs again a little easier.
The offense may look a little different, but at the end of the day, the Buccaneers are one of the better units in the entire league, especially if they can get the running game going. The defense struggled in some areas last season, but with Todd Bowles’ insistence on creating turnovers and some new additions to the crew, the 2024 Buccaneers have a chance to make some big noise.
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