NFC SOUTH: BREES READY TO MARCH NEW ORLEANS TO ANOTHER TITLE
1 SAINTS
COACH: Sean Payton 2017 RECORD: 11-5 O/U WINS: 9 ¹/2 SUPER BOWL ODDS: 14/1 FIRST-AND-GOAL: QB Drew Brees (right) hasn’t shrunk. Neither has his completion percentage (72.0 percent). Teddy Bridgewater is quality insurance. Payton and Brees form a dynamic offensive brain trust. RB Alvin Kamara is a dual-threat game-changer. RB Mark Ingram will return following his four-game suspension. The offensive line is big and cohesive. Rookie WR Tre’Quan Smith has opened eyes even more than Cameron Meredith (knee). The Giants coveted Sterling Shepard over WR Michael Thomas. DE Cam Jordan might have a bookend in rookie first-rounder Marcus Davenport. Marshon Lattimore is a shutdown corner. FS Marcus Williams will recover from his Minnesota Miracle Mistake. MLB Demario Davis will assume a leadership role. FOURTH-AND-LONG: Ingram misses four weeks. Whoever plays opposite Lattimore better brace for getting picked on. The tight end position hasn’t been the same since Jimmy Graham was traded.
2 FALCONS
COACH: Dan Quinn | 2017 RECORD: 10-6 O/U WINS: 9 ¹/2 | SUPER BOWL ODDS: 15/1
FIRST-AND-GOAL: $150 Million Man Matt Ryan and stud WR Julio Jones (right) will connect for more than three TDs this season. First-round WR Calvin Ridley is a nice routerunning complement. RBs Devonta Freeman and
Tevin Coleman are a dynamic duo. Center Alex Mack anchors an established line. Vic Beasley is back at defensive end after tailing off at outside linebacker following a 15.5-sack 2016. DE Takkarist McKinley (six sacks as a rookie) is a relentless bookend. DT Grady
Jarrett, Pro Bowl MLB Deion Jones and enforcer S Keanu Neal are good run-stoppers. Jones added 10 passes defensed and three INTs. OLB De’Vondre Campbell can supply a pass rush. CBs Desmond Trufant and Robert Alford are a formidable tandem. Safety Damontae Kazee has opened eyes. Defensive coordinator Marquand Manuel is a rising star.
FOURTH-AND-LONG: Offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian was a drop-off from Kyle Shanahan. He should have better chemistry this season with Ryan and Jones. NT Dontari Poe took his 346 pounds to Carolina.
3 PANTHERS
COACH: Ron Rivera 2017 RECORD: 11-5 O/U WINS: 9 SUPER BOWL ODDS: 40/1 FIRST-AND-GOAL: QB Cam Newton has been handed three flashy weapons in the last two drafts: RB Christian McCaffrey (left), WR Curtis Samuel and WR D.J. Moore. TE Greg Olsen wasn’t quite ready for television and WR Devin Funchess is a tall target. RB C.J. Anderson should be a motivated complement to McCaffrey. DT Dontari Poe will help Kawann Short stop the run. MLB Luke Kuechly is an eternal tackling machine. LB Shaq Thompson should emerge in his fourth season. FOURTH-AND-LONG: LB Thomas Davis is a terrific leader, but he’ll miss the first four weeks (PED suspension). The secondary looks problematic against Drew Brees and Matt Ryan. Rookie Donte Jackson might be the replacement for CB Ross Cockrell (broken leg). CB James Bradberry has four INTs in his two seasons. The previous two defensive coordinators, Sean McDermott and Steve Wilks, are now head coaches, so Eric Washington has to step up. DE Julius Peppers has 154.5 career sacks, but he’s 38 for crying out loud.
4 BUCCANEERS
COACH: Dirk Koetter 2017 RECORD: 5-11 O/U WINS: 6 ¹/2 SUPER BOWL ODDS: 200/1 FIRST-AND-GOAL: WR Mike Evans got $55 million guaranteed in his new deal. DeSean Jackson can still take the top off a defense. WR Chris Godwin and TE O.J. Howard could make impacts. TE Cameron Brate is smart and dependable. DEs Jason Pierre-Paul and Vinny Curry will help bulked-up Noah Spence rush the passer, and first-round rookie DT Vita Vea will help Gerald McCoy stuff the run. LBs Lavonte David and Kwon Alexander are playmakers. FOURTH-ANDLONG: QB Jameis Winston (left) earned his threegame suspension. He wants to teach his son to respect women. GOOD IDEA!!! Ryan Fitzpatrick gets the Saints, Steelers and Eagles. It’s not what you want. No one had a worse pass defense in 2017. Will bigplay second-round rookie RB Ronald Jones II take command of the backfield? CB Vernon Hargreaves has one interception in his two seasons. CB Brent Grimes secured a one-year, $10 million contract, but he just turned 35. Koetter barely survived 2017.