NFC South: NFL Team-by-Team Season Preview
Adam Martin 
Time to switch focus to the NFC South, as our NFL betting expert Adam Martin continues his run of season previews exclusively for Free Bets.
Four teams – the New Orleans Saints, Atlanta Falcons, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Carolina Panthers – are set to battle it out for divisional supremacy.
With questions over rookie development, coaching changes, and playoff ambitions, Adam breaks down where the betting value lies ahead of another fascinating NFL season
NFC South Season Preview
The NFC South isn’t considered the most exciting division in the NFL, but it does have some interesting storylines.
Can the Falcons finally get back to the playoffs? Are the Bucs destined to win it again? Are the Saints just looking to next years draft? Can the Panthers finally kick on?
Here we look at all the off-season moves and what to expect from this season.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers had a tough start to the season under new head coach Dave Canales. Fortunately for Panthers fans it felt like as the season went on things became better and so there is some promise going into this season. Bryce Young struggled till near the end of last year, when things started to click for the quarterback.
Statistically the Panthers were one of the poorest in the league defensively. They lost Derrick Brown early in the season and that meant they lost their pass rush. With him gone they ended up ranked 32nd in the league and they were not much better at stopping the run.
Despite the bad record Dave Canales will be back for his second year as he continues to rebuild this team. He has also kept Brad Idzik as his offensive coordinator and Ejiro Evero as his defensive coordinator.
In free agency the Panthers decided that given how poor their defence was it was time for a rebuild. Jadeveon Clowney, Josey Jewell, Shaq Thompson, Jordan Fuller and Xavier Woods all left Carolina.
They then bought in a new selection of defensive players in Tershawn Wharton, Trevon Moehrig, Bobby Brown, Christian Roseboom and Patrick Jones. The Panthers now have the most expensive defensive line rotation in the league.
They also re-signed some of their main players. Jaycee Horn and Michael Jackson will be back in the cornerback room and Adam Thielan, David Moore and Tommy Tremble will help as pass catching options for Bryce Young.
In the draft the Panthers continued to make good moves and one of the best ones in the whole draft was getting Tetairoa McMillian. The big bodied wide receiver has drawn Mike Evans comparisons, and he really could hit the ground running.
They then went a bought in two promising edge rushers in Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmeilen. Both guys had good college careers, and they will just be more talent and power for the Panthers defence. The rest of their picks are going to be depth players.
Verdict
The Panthers have seriously improved their defence with all the additions to it. Adding Tetairoa McMillian will help the offence as well. It’s unlikely that they will be able to win this division, but the goal must be to have a winning record. They have a chance of doing it.
Odds
New Orleans Saints
The Saints had a rough season last year finshing with a 5-12 record. It feels like all the years of kicking the can down the road is starting to come back to bite them. Derek Carr was injured for most of it and Spencer Rattler struggled in his rookie season.
The offence couldn’t get the pass game going at all but had a solid run game thanks to Alvin Kamara. The defence couldn’t stop the pass as well which meant it was easy to score on them. Overall, it was a recipe for disaster.
Kellen Moore has come in and it’s a tough job for the first time head coach. He has got Doug Nussmeier as his offensive coordinator and ex Chargers head coach, Brandon Staley, as his defensive coordinator.
With all the cap issues that the Saints have, free agency became a cost cutting exercise for them. The defence saw the largest among of players to leave with Tyrann Mathieu, Dallin Hooker, Will Harris, Payton Turner and Paulson Adebo all moving on.
They did manage to sign some of their guys with Cam Jordan and Chase Young coming back to lead the edge rushers.
They bought in some new players as well but none of them were over $10m a year, which is low for the NFL. Isaac Yiadom, Justin Reid, Julian Blackmon, Davon Godchaux and Jonathon Bullard have been bought in to bolster the defence. Brandin Cooks has also come in to help that wide receiver room out.
The Saints have got a history of not using their draft picks but in 2024 they had nine to make. Some of them looked like good choices with Kelvin Banks a standout offensive tackle in this year’s draft. He had a great year at Texas last season and that should translate to the NFL.
Vernon Broughton in round three and Danny Stutsmen in round four look like good defensive players but the rest have question marks. Picking Tyler Shough in round two felt like an odd move for an injury plagued quarterback that doesn’t have much upside.
Verdict
The Saints desperately need to do a rebuild and just accept that this season won’t be about competing. This season feels like it should be about seeing what you have for the future. Spencer Rattler is unlikely to be the answer and so a high draft pick in 2026 could be the way forward. Sorry Saints fans.
Odds
Atlanta Falcons
An 8-9 season was not quite what the Atlanta Falcons were hoping for at the beginning of last season. They felt that they were playoff contenders and that all they needed was a quarterback to get them over the line. They signed Kirk Cousins and drafted Michael Penix, but it didn’t really work for them.
The offence did well in the run game but were just middle of the pack when it came to the passing game. The defence also struggled and was ranked in the middle of the league at best.
Raheem Morris is back for another go as head coach this season, but you do feel if the same happens again then he might be feeling the heat. Zac Robinson is back as his offensive coordinator and the Falcons have bought in ex-Jets defensive coordinator Jeff Ulbrich to run the defence.
Going into free agency the Falcons clearly decided that it was the defence that needed sorting out. Matt Judon, Justin Simmons, Grady Jarrett and Nate Landman all left. They then went out and signed Leonard Floyd, Morgan Fox and Divine Diablo as replacements.
They did make a few moves on the offence, but it was largely on the offensive line. The Falcons main centre, Drew Dalman left and so they re-signed Ryan Neuzil to replace him. They also re-signed left tackle Jake Matthews.
The draft continued the defensive overhaul with Jalon Walker, James Pearce, Xavier Watts and Billy Bowman all being picked. Walker and Pearce are explosive pass rushers which is something the Falcons have needed for a few years now. Watts and Bowman will help to bolster the Safety position as well.
Verdict
It shouldn’t take much for the Falcons to become a playoff team. The defence has been worked on and are much younger now. If Jeff Ulbrich can get them going, then they should have a winning record.
However, they don’t feel like they are a serious threat to winning it all. It feels like this season should be about developing Michael Penix and then really going for it in the next few years.
Odds
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Bucs had a decent season last year finishing with a 10-7 record. Unfortunately for Bucs fans it was one and done in the playoffs as they come up against the Washington Commanders.
Statistically they were a good offence that ranked in the top ten. Defensively they struggled to stop the pass but were good against the run. The cornerback position was a particular weakness that needed to be addressed this off-season.
Head coach Todd Bowles is back for another year in Tampa Bay but there have been some moves in the coaching staff. Last years offensive coordinator, Liam Coen has moved on to the Jacksonville Jaguars. Josh Grizzard has been promoted from the pass game coordinator job, and a lot of this offence will now be down to him.
The Bucs don’t have a defensive coordinator but instead have two that focus on different areas. George Edwards takes care of the pass defence and Larry Forte the run game. Both guys were there last year, and the continuity will hopefully help.
In free agency they moved on from some of their defenders and added new guys to help improve it. Jordan Whitehead, Shaquil Barrett, KJ Britt and Joe Tyron-Shoyinka have all moved on. Anthony Walker, Haason Reddick and Kindle Vildor have all come into the building.
They did re-sign a few of their main guys though. Chris Godwin, Lavonte David, Greg Gaines and Ben Bredeson are all back.
In the draft the Bucs only had six picks, but they have got themselves some exciting talent that will get involved quickly. Ohio State wide receiver Emeka Egbuka was picked in round one and he was arguably the most reliable receiver in the draft.
They then bought in two cornerbacks in round two and three. Both Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Patrick are decent players and will help the Bucs in an area of need. The next three picks are most likely to be depth pieces who won’t get that involved this season.
Verdict
The Bucs are favourites to win this division and they should be. It does feel that they have the best team in this division by some distance. However, that’s about as far as it goes.
Winning a playoff game shouldn’t be beyond them but it will really depend on who they draw. Unfortunately, they just don’t have the talent or depth to compete at the top end of NFC. The NFC Championship game is probably beyond them.
Odds
NFC South Betting Odds
Below is the complete list of NFC South division odds, with the Buffalo Bills emerging as firm favourites among UK betting sites to top the standings.
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Once the season kicks off, Adam Martin will bring you weekly NFL tips and best bets throughout the campaign.
In the meantime, stay tuned to Freebets for his upcoming season previews, ensuring you're fully prepared for every snap of the new season.
