NFL NFC South Betting Lines Favorites and Surprises

Is there a division in the NFL with more question marks at quarterback than the NFC South? The New Orleans Saints are the favorites to win the division, but their quarterback, Derek Carr, frustrated his former team (the Las Vegas Raiders) with his backbreaking interceptions and stalled drives so much that they basically told him he didn’t have to keep coming to work for about the last month of the season – even though he made the Pro Bowl, leading to the awkward sight of a quarterback dazzling in the Pro Bowl skills competition despite not having a team to play for. The Atlanta Falcons have Desmond Ridder, the second-year quarterback out of the University of Cincinnati, who has yet to show that he can guide an NFL offense in all phases. The Carolina Panthers have Bryce Young out of Alabama, with Matt Corral behind him on the depth chart, which means that a learning curve is certain, even if Young’s ceiling is sky-high. Then we have Baker Mayfield, who wowed a national audience when he came to the Rams on a few days’ notice and led them to a sparkling comeback win over the Raiders. Can he finally succeed over a regular season and into the playoffs? We will see who emerges from this division. Check out the NFL betting odds for each team to win the NFC South and some of our insights on each team.

 

NFL Betting News: NFC South Betting Favorites and Surprises

   

The New Orleans Saints got solid but unspectacular play from Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston at the quarterback position last year, but they learned what every other team that has employed the two signal-callers already knew. Winston has a cannon of an arm and can make some spectacular throws, but those throws can end up just as easily in the hands of the opposing defense. Dalton can guide offenses up and down the field, but if the team falls behind, he’s not the guy you want leading quick comeback drives.

Carr comes to town with a four-year, $150 million contract, the biggest contract for any free agent who changed teams in the off-season. However, the Saints didn’t bring him to town to win now. Chris Olave is a wide receiver of the future, but the skill players around him are on the far end of their career arcs. Michael Thomas has dealt with multiple injuries the last few years, and we don’t know how explosive he will be running routes. Alvin Kamara has taken a done of damage in recent seasons and could face a suspension from a 2022 battery case in Las Vegas.

The Atlanta Falcons will be a run-heavy team after drafting Bijan Robinson out of Texas and giving Desmond Ridder the keys to the offense. The team was so set on having him run things that they were willing to send Marcus Mariota to the bench – and see Mariota leave the team. Ridder started the last four games of the season, and the first two were tough (losses in New Orleans and Baltimore) but the last two were nice wins (over Arizona and Tampa Bay). Observers noticed that Ridder can see the field and throw very well, using his eyes to mislead opposing safeties and then nailing throws to the seam. In those four starts, he threw for 708 yards and two scores – without a pick. Ball security is a major benefit in the NFL.

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Bet on the NFC South Division!

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The Carolina Panthers have a solid offensive line and a defense on the rise. Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield struggled to lead the offense, so it will be interesting to see what Bryce Young can do. Of course, the Panthers still have not signed Young to his rookie deal, which means that training camp could start with Matt Corral leading the offense. The Ole Miss product put up some big numbers in college, but he did not deal well with the high-speed defenses in the SEC. I expect Young to sign his contract and get into camp, and his off-season looked quite promising. However, as we saw with Trevor Lawrence and Joe Burrow, it’s extremely difficult – even for the most elite college quarterbacks – to step in and start. The learning curve is steep.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers bring back an elite defense and skill players at wide receiver and tailback. The question seems to be whether the Buccaneers can win in spite of Baker Mayfield, even though the games in which Mayfield has played explosively have produced multiple highlights. A troubling stat trend for Mayfield fans has to do with sacks: in 2020, Mayfield took 26 sacks on 540 dropbacks while leading the Browns to a wild-card berth in the playoffs – and w wild-card playoff win in Pittsburgh. In 2021, he dropped back 54 fewer times – and was sacked 43 times. In 2022, between Carolina and the Rams, he dropped back 393 times and took 36 sacks. Those numbers are increasing – and you can’t blame it all on the O-line. It’s going to be important for Mayfield to prove not only that he’s healthy, but that he can make split-second decisions, if the Buccaneers are going to contend in 2023.

 

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