NFC South Division Winner Predictions, Best Picks, Odds

• Last season, the NFC South only sent one team to the playoffs – The Tampa Bay Bucs
• NO Saints have a healthy QB and the Carolina Panthers have an ex-Brown under center
• For the first time since 2008, the Atlanta Falcons are without veteran QB Matt Ryan

Last season, the NFC South only sent one team to the playoffs – Tom Brady’s Tampa Bay Bucs – while the other three watched the postseason from their couches, an NFL division that was created in 2002 when the league realigned now ranked sixth of eight due to multiple rebuilds.

The New Orleans Saints have a healthy QB again and the Carolina Panthers have an ex-Brown under center, while the Atlanta Falcons are now without veteran Matt Ryan calling plays on the field, those three teams not expected to fare as well as the TB Bucs whose roster is steadier.

For fans of this division thinking of busting open their gambling kitty on a potential winner, be sure to check out all our odds and picks for who will be kings of the NFC South during a season where five other divisions are expected to do better, an uphill battle worth betting on.

NFC South Division Winner Odds

Odds taken from DraftKings

NFC South Division Winner Picks

No sense in betting against the GOAT until he gives us reason to as his Bucs will most likely continue to rule in the NFC South.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (-330)

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Ever since QB Tom Brady joined the team, the Bucs have been playoff contenders including a Super Bowl LV win over the KC Chiefs in 2020 and a Wild Card Win over the Philly Eagles last season, both of those under now retired HC Bruce Arians.

It is Todd Bowles turn to lead this team now as HC, and besides the GOAT his roster is packed with healthy playmakers like WRs Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, and Julio Jones and RB Leonard Fournette along with NT Vita Vea, DE Akiem Hicks, and LB Shaquil Barrett, all vets, all ready.

This Bucs roster got a lot of depth this offseason with the addition of some rookies who could make a difference this year including second rounder LG Luke Goedeke who is expected to start in Week 1 as well as a rookie punter, Jake Camarda, who is also expected to hold for FGs.

New Orleans Saints

Besides new HC Dennis Allen, a big addition to the roster this offseason is rookie wide receiver Chris Olave, the OSU superstar who was picked in the first round and is expected to be one of the starting targets for QB Jameis Winston, now healthy.

Winston’s injury (torn ACL and MCL damage) happened last year in Week 8, a season ender that also doomed the Saints who ended up at 9-8 for the season and missing the playoffs for the first time since the 2016 season, a gap in excellence that felt odd for the New Orleans faithful.

The Saints have plenty of other veteran playmakers for Winston to target – WRs Michael Thomas, Jarvis Landry, Marquez Callaway – and they also have TE Taysom Hill who can act as a ball carrier, receiver, and thrower throughout the game, giving opposing defenses trouble.

Carolina Panthers

HC Matt Rhule named Baker Mayfield as the team’s starting QB this season, and their matchup with his former Browns team in Week 1 makes for dramatic football for sure, but a healthy Mayfield can be just what these Panthers could use in 2022.

If Mayfield can return to end-of-2020 form, he will bring an accurate arm that works on the move and outside the pocket, a gutsy field leader who can find his targets including WRs DJ Moore, Robbie Anderson, and slot WR Terrance Marshall Jr as well as soft handed TE Ian Thomas.

The main Panther playmaker is no doubt dual threat RB Christian McCaffrey, who, when healthy, is a huge part of Carolina’s offensive game plan, but his type of play – all in – leads to injuries which can sideline him and put a damper on whatever OC Ben McAdoo has planned.

No Chance to Win

Atlanta Falcons

The oddsmakers are not liking how the Atlanta Falcons roster has shaped up over the offseason and put them as huge underdogs to win the NFC South, this team finally without QB Matt Ryan under center, the veteran hurler who led them to a Super Bowl.

Now this team belongs to Marcus Mariota who used to be the Tennessee Titans franchise QB back in the day, a solid field general who should be able to take full advantage of his veteran receivers – Bryan Edwards and Olamide Zaccheaus – and rookie first round WR Drake London.

Falcons HC Arthur Smith expects DC Dean Pees to shape up a defense that was ranked 26th last season, a squad that houses DT Grady Jarrett and DE Ta’Quon Graham and that has CBs Casey Hayward and A.J. Terrell in its secondary, a 7-10 team last year looking to do a lot better.

Which NFC South Team Has Won the Most Divisional Titles?

Since the NFC South was created in 2002, the New Orleans Saints have led that division with seven total championships, all of which were with future Hall of Fame QB Drew Breeze under center, an incredible coach-on-the-field who could outguess defenses and find the end zone.

The Carolina Panthers are next in line on this list with 5 NFC South titles, the last three in a row being from 2013 through 2015 when Ron Rivera was the NFL’s COTY and Cam Newton was QB and league MVP, a team that went to Super Bowl 50 but lost the Denver Broncos, 10-24.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and the Atlanta Falcons each have four divisional championships on their resumes, a tie that could be broken this season if the Bucs and their QB Tom Brady can figure out how to win the division again, something the GOAT should have little trouble doing.

Which NFC South Team Has Won the Most Super Bowls?

It’s one thing to win the division, and an entirely other level of accomplishment to turn that into a Super Bowl win, something that half the NFC South teams have done at least once and the other two teams have not despite appearances in the Big Game, a loss worse than few others.

The Tampa Bay Bucs have two Lombardi Trophies, one in 2020 under HC Bruce Arians and the other in 2002 with Jon Gruden having taken over a team developed by former HC Tony Dungy, while the New Orleans Saints have one Super Bowl win in 2009 over the Indy Colts, 31-17.

The Panthers have been to two Super Bowls in their franchise history but lost both XXXVIII against the Patriots and 50 against the Broncos, and the same thing happened twice to the Falcons first in XXXIII against the Denver Broncos and in LI against the Patriots in overtime.

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