NFL Updates: NFC South Continuity Score

The 2020 NFL season is shaping up to be a cracking affair. All 32 teams were subjected to peculiar preseason training procedures due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The NFC South Division, in particular, underwent some tremendous alterations in the 2020 offseason. The biggest one being the arrival of six-time Super Bowl champion and three-time NFL MVP, Tom Brady, in Florida.

Atlanta Falcons, New Orleans Saints, and Carolina Panthers will all benefit from Brady’s arrival. Saints’ Teddy Bridgewater also shifted base to Carolina to replace the outgoing Cam Newton. Another big roster move was Jameis Winston’s arrival in New Orleans to cover for Drew Brees. He left Tampa Bay after TB12 and Rob Gronkowski signed short-term deals earlier this year.

Let’s take a look at the continuity score of each team from the NFC South Division and see how their respective campaigns can play out over the course of the next year or so.

Atlanta Falcons

The Atlanta Falcons ended the 2019 season on a sour note with a 7-9 record. They showed signs of promise over the course of the season but failed to build on that as the year progressed. They finished second in NFC South last year.

Coaching staff

Head coach Dan Quinn will return for his sixth year as coach of the Falcons. He will be joined by Jeff Ulbrich (Assistant coach/linebackers), Dirk Koetter (Offensive coordinator), Greg Knapp (Quarterback coach) and Raheem Morris (defensive coordinator). They have failed to qualify for the playoffs for the last two years and will hope to change that this season.

Offense and defense

Matt Ryan will enter his fourteenth season in the NFL in 2020. The veteran NFL shot-caller has thrown for 4,000+ yards for nine years running. He’s been with the Falcons since 2008 and will be their focal point in attack once again.

Another seasoned NFL star, Julio Jones, will be the primary wide threat moving forward. The Falcons have been heavily dependent on Jones ever since he arrived back in 2011. The Falcons have also made some interesting additions in the offseason in the form of CB AJ Terrell (Clemson, first-round pick) and DT Marlon Davidson (Auburn, second-round pick).

2020 NFL prediction

The Falcons will find it tough to make the playoffs this year because of increased competition in the NFC South Division. We expect them to finish third in the division.

Carolina Panthers

It was a season to forget for the Carolina Panthers in 2019. They started the season with 0-2 record but improved to 5-3 heading into week 10. However, they went on an eight-game losing streak after that which also saw head coach Ron Rivera lose his job in Week 14. They finished the 2019 season last in the NFC South Division with a 5-11 record.

Coaching staff

Former Baylor University coach Matt Rhule was anointed as the Panthers head coach in the offseason. He took over from Perry Fewell who took over following Rivera’s departure the year before. Rhule will be joined by Joe Brady (Offensive coordinator), Jake Peetz (Quarterback coach) and Phil Snow (Defensive coordinator) in Carolina.

Offense and defense

This will be the first year since 2010 that the Panthers will start the season without Cam Newton on their roster. The veteran NFL quarterback was let go in the offseason. Instead, former Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints quarterback, Teddy Bridgewater, was brought in to replace Newton.

Star running back Christian McCaffrey will be the key player for the Panthers heading into the 2020 season. He signed a four-year, $64 million contract extension earlier this year which made him the highest-paid running back in NFL history. The Panthers have also drafted DT Derrick Brown (Auburn, first-round pick) and DE Yetur Gross-Matos (Penn State, second-round pick) in the 2020 NFL draft.

2020 NFL prediction

It will be interesting to see how the Panthers adapt to Matt Rhule and new starting quarterback Teddy Bridgewater this year. Given it’s their transition year, we expect the Panthers to occupy the last spot in the NFC South Division.

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New Orleans Saints

Head coach Sean Payton had an outstanding regular season with New Orleans Saints in 2019. They finished first in NFC South with a 13-3 record. This was the first time in franchise history where the team registered back-to-back seasons with 12 or more wins. However, they were knocked out in the Wildcard Playoff round with a 20-26 OT loss to Minnesota Vikings.

Coaching staff

Sean Payton will enter his 14th season as head coach of New Orleans Saints. He will hope to retain the NFC South Division title for the fourth consecutive year in 2020. Payton will be joined by Dan Campbell (Assistant coach/ Tight end coach), Peter Carmichael (Offensive coordinator), Joe Lombardi (Quarterback coach) and Dennis Allen (Defensive coordinator).

Offense and defense

Veteran quarterback Drew Brees will be joined by former Tampa Bay QB Jameis Winston in New Orleans this season. Star WR Michael Thomas will be their key asset moving forward. Seasoned RB Alvin Kamara and DE Cameron Jordan will also retain their positions in the starting line-up in 2020.

They have brought in safety Malcolm Jenkins (Philadelphia Eagles) on a four-year contract. They have also added talented wide receiver Emmanuel Sanders (San Francisco 49ers) on a two-year deal. In addition to that, they also drafted promising center Cesar Ruiz (Michigan State, first-round pick) in the 2020 NFL draft.

2020 NFL prediction

We expect Drew Brees-led New Orleans to retain their NFC South title this season. But their opponents down in Florida could give them a run for their money over the course of the 2020 season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Bruce Arians’ first season in charge of Tampa Bay Buccaneers served up a bag of mixed results. They slumped to 2-6 record at the end of Week eight. However, the Bucs improved upon that record to end the season with a 7-9 record. They finished third in the NFC South Division.

Coaching staff

Arians will look to build upon what he started last year. He helped transform the Bucs into one of the best offensive teams in the league. He will once again be joined by Harold Goodwin (Assistant coach/ running game coach), Byron Leftwich (Offensive coordinator), Clyde Christensen (Quarterback coach), Todd McNair (Running Back coach) and Kevin Ross (Cornerbacks coach).

Offense and defense

Of course, the biggest headline from this summer was the arrival of Tom Brady in Florida. The six-time Super Bowl winner signed a two-year deal with the Buccaneers after departing New England Patriots. He will be joined by former Pats teammate Rob Gronkowski who came out of retirement and signed a one-year deal with the Bucs.

The likes of Mike Evans, Chris Godwin, OJ Howard, and Cameron Brate will all benefit from the arrival of TB12 and The Gronk Arians also brought in RB. LeSean ‘Shady’ McCoy to support Brady in the offense. Pro Bowler Shaquil Barrett will also be a key figure for the Bucs over the course of the 2020 season.

2020 NFL prediction

We feel that the Tampa Bay outfit will finish second in the NFC South Division behind Saints. But that could change as we progress towards the latter half of the 2020 season.

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