Niner Noise
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NFL: Predicting each division winner for 2018

By Chris Wilson

MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Injured quarterback Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles holds the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS, MN - FEBRUARY 04: Injured quarterback Carson Wentz #11 of the Philadelphia Eagles holds the Lombardi Trophy after defeating the New England Patriots 41-33 in Super Bowl LII at U.S. Bank Stadium on February 4, 2018 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images) /
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NFL 2018 AFC South
NEW ORLEANS, LA – DECEMBER 03: Alvin Kamara #41 of the New Orleans Saints celebrates a touchdown during the first half of a game against the Carolina Panthers at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on December 3, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

NFC South: New Orleans Saints

Similar to last season, the quest for the NFC South title looks to be another three-team race, and last year’s victor is still the team to beat. In 2017, the New Orleans Saints won 11 games and were a freak play away from the NFC Championship Game, partially thanks to their exceptional rookie class. Another year of development from their young talent, paired with a strong offseason that included an affordable two-year extension for their star QB, will help the Saints embark on one of the last playoff runs of the Drew Brees era.

The Carolina Panthers were the worse of the two NFC South’s 11-win teams, in both their play on the field and their playoff seeding, which forced them to travel to New Orleans in the Wild Card round of the playoffs. Carolina’s playoff loss highlighted their lack of offensive playmakers, which the Panthers tried to rectify in free agency — and with the selection of wide receiver D.J. Moore in the first round of the draft.

Otherwise, the Panthers spent much of the offseason attempting to replace players who left the team, notably All-Pro guard Andrew Norwell.

The loss of offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan took a toll on the Atlanta Falcons’ offense, which fell from one the best offenses in the history of the NFL to merely above-average status. The Falcons’ defense was also a disappointment in 2017, although they improved at the end of the season. Interestingly, instead of addressing the defense early in the draft, Atlanta added another offensive piece in the first round — wide receiver Calvin Ridley.

Although the Falcons didn’t improve their roster over the offseason, they already have the pieces in place to challenge for the top spot in the AFC South.

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t take the step forward they were hoping for last season, due to a poor defense that allowed over 6,000 yards. The Bucs were very aggressive this offseason in an attempt to recover from their five-win 2017 season. Tampa Bay rehauled their entire defensive line, re-signed quarterback Jameis Winston‘s top passing targets and made free agent Ryan Jensen the NFL’s highest-paid center. The Buccaneers will be a better team in 2018, but should fall short of contention for the division title.