The NFC South is one of the more intriguing divisions in the NFL heading into 2020. The New Orleans Saints are the defending champions and have made playoff runs the past three seasons, but their starting quarterback, Drew Brees, appears to have his eyes set on his retirement, as he has inked a deal with NBC Sports to go into the broadcast booth after his playing days are over. His backup from 2019, Teddy Bridgewater, will now be starting for a divisional rival — the Carolina Panthers. His backup in 2020, Jameis Winston, became the first quarterback ever to throw more than 30 touchdown passes and 30 interceptions in the same season for Tampa Bay last year — who ditched Winston when they brought Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski to town. The only NFC South team that didn’t join in the carousel was Atlanta — but they did bring Todd Gurley to town. Let’s take a look at the NFL betting odds of each of the four division rivals to win the crown this year after the 2020 draft, along with our thoughts about each team.
NFC South Divisional Odds After the 2020 Draft
- New Orleans Saints -110
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +160
- Atlanta Falcons +700
- Carolina Panthers +1400
The New Orleans Saints brought Emmanuel Sanders in via free agency from San Francisco to give Brees just another weapon. New Orleans did not add a running back, though, which makes Alvin Kamara even more important going into his contract year. The Saints had been considering Wisconsin’s Jonathan Taylor in the first round, but instead they picked up center Cesar Ruiz, who is known for opening up holes for his tailbacks. Here are some questions, though. How hungry will the Saints be after three consecutive playoff disappointments? How much does Drew Brees still really have in the tank? Given all the buzz swirling in Tampa Bay, will the Saints decide they need to take care of business, or will they wilt? Sean Payton is one of the top coaches in the NFL, but it will be interesting to see how this team holds it together.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are doing all they can to protect Tom Brady and give him as many offensive targets as possible. Tristan Wirfs will come in from the draft and be the team’s starting right tackle when the regular season starts. Ke’Shawn Vaughn can protect the passer in the backfield and can also pound the ball between the tackles. Wide receiver Tyler Johnson gives Tampa Bay a burner down the field; it was surprising to see him still available in the fifth round. The Bucs also filled some defensive holes and swapped their fourth-round draft pick to the Patriots to bring down Rob Gronkowski. It will be interesting to see how quickly the Buccaneers get out of the gate.
The Atlanta Falcons could still pick up a free-agent tailback to complement Todd Gurley, given that Gurley has left knee issues. After all, the Rams don’t just release players without reason. Brian Hill, Ito Smith and Qadree Ollison are the backups at tailback, but I don’t think the Falcons are done yet. Last year, Atlanta averaged just 85.1 yards per game, 30th in the NFL, running the ball, and that number needs to go up to keep Matt Ryan from having to convert a ton of third-and-longs.
The Carolina Panthers should get a charge out of Teddy Bridgewater at quarterback. He led the Minnesota Vikings to an NFC North title before he blew out his knee, and then he went 5-0 when Drew Brees went down for a while last season. The Panthers addressed some defensive gaps by adding Derrick Brown at defensive tackle in the first round. That will help Brian Burns get to the quarterback — adding to his 7.5 sacks from his 2019 rookie campaign.
