The NFC South has always been a revolving door with no one team staying at the top of the list for all that long. The Atlanta Falcons were at the top of the heap last season, but looking at BetOnline’s NFL futures for this division for the upcoming season, just about any of the four teams have a chance to claim the 2017 title.
The division title race in the NFC South this season should be a good one with all four teams in the mix according to the recently updated NFL futures odds at BetOnline . Atlanta won last year going away after Carolina cruised to the title in 2015, but this year’s race to the top could be completely up for grabs.
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Atlanta Falcons +165
The Falcons still appear to be the top team in this division on paper with the likes of Matt Ryan throwing the ball to Julio Jones in the passing game and Devonta Freeman anchoring the ground game on an offense that was ranked second in the NFL in total yards and first in scoring with 33.8 points per game. The big intangible with this team is how it will respond to last year’s epic collapse in Super Bowl LI.
There are also some issues with a defense that was 25th in the league in yards allowed and 27th in points allowed. Head coach Dan Quinn turned to the draft to try and add some depth up front, but I think his coaching skills are really going to be put the test if this team does get off to a slow start.
Carolina Panthers +210
Carolina took the fall in Super Bowl 50 after going 15-1 in the 2015 regular season and the aftershock of that defeat resulted in a last place finish at 6-10 the following season. The big question heading into 2017 is where this team goes from here? If Cam Newton can regain most of the form that led to his MVP honors in 2015, the Panthers should get back on track to a winning season. They still have some decent talent on offense and the addition of running back Christian McCaffrey in the first round of the draft should only make this unit better in 2017.
This is another team that has some question marks on defense after sinking to 26th in the NFL in points allowed last year, but Carolina still has enough talent on this side of the ball to quickly turn things around.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers +325
The Buccaneers could be the most intriguing team in this division. They made the jump to nine wins in 2016 under the guidance of new head coach Dirk Koetter behind an offense that took some positive steps forward and a defense that improved across the board as well. The free agent addition of DeSean Jackson at wide receiver and first round pick OJ Howard at tight end gives third-year quarterback Jameis Winston a few other targets in the passing game to go along with Mike Evans.
We have seen some false starts from Tampa Bay in the past so this team could easily take a step backwards in 2017. The current betting odds of -125 on UNDER 8.5 wins echoes this point.
New Orleans Saints +450
It has been four years since the Saints won the NFC South at 11-5 followed by three seven-win seasons in a row. Sean Payton has been at the helm as head coach since 2006 so the natives are getting a bit restless in the Big Easy. New Orleans has a projected win total of eight wins this season with even -110 betting odds on both sides of that coin, but it might only take one or two more wins than that to regain that top spot.
Payton and veteran quarterback Drew Brees are not getting any younger and, as the senior coach/quarterback combo in the NFC South, the sense of urgency to turn things around is at an all-time high. Added talent through free agency and the draft should help the cause, especially if running back Adrian Peterson has anything left in the tank.
