Around The Bleachers: NFC/AFC South
If you did not see my previous posts, I am writing a series of blogs outlining the expectations that the teams should have of themselves and what I consider should be a “win” for the team. You can find the post for the NFC/AFC North and East here and here respectively. This post is dedicated to the teams in the NFC and AFC South.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
It doesn’t matter if Brady is 25 or 45, the expectation of any team with him under center is a Super Bowl. This team is still pretty loaded with new toys at the WR position in Julio Jones and Russell Gage so there can be no excuses. The O-line has some injury issues but it looks like as usual, they will be able to make it back in time for the playoffs. The defense is still the backbone of this team and looks as strong as ever.
Definition of Win:
- As I said, this team has to be thinking of a Super Bowl to send Brady off into his real retirement. The division and conference are as weak as it has been recently so this sets up the Bucs really well.
New Orleans Saints
This is a weird time for the Saints without Brees and Payton. The defense is still elite and should be able to keep the team competitive in most matches. The season depends on how early Jameis can get back to slinging the football. This team is still in transition to some extent, so I wouldn’t expect them to make a big playoff run but they should still be able to play spoiler to several big teams.
Definition of Win:
- This team still has a good enough defense and enough firepower on offense to make the playoffs.
- Chris Olave has the ability to have a similar impact to Chase last year. He is an electric receiver and has the ability to lift this team and play above its potential.
Carolina Panthers
“Too many cooks spoil the broth” — will this hold true for Carolina? The QB situation is confusing and probably limits how much the Panthers can achieve this season. But the main limiting factor is whether Christian McCaffrey can remain healthy for the length of the season, he has the talent to make ordinary QBs look special. This defense is good and should continue its form this season, but questions still exist about this offense and whether Matt Rhule is really the one that can coach this team to the playoffs.
Definition of Win:
- The Panthers have an outside chance of making the playoffs if Mayfield can deliver to his potential; the season would be a big success if they can reach the playoffs.
- Ickey Ekwonu grows into their LT of the future.
Atlanta Falcons
No team likes to agree that they are in a rebuild, but the Falcons are definitely in a rebuild. The expectation for what this team can achieve is fairly low, so the focus should most definitely be on seeing growth from the young players who will be on the roster for the next 2–3 years. The Calvin Ridley situation is unfortunate, but hopefully this will give Drake London the opportunity to make a big impact and get up to speed with the NFL when the team is ready to challenge for the division.
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Definition of Win:
- Desmond Ridder has shown promise in the preseason so it would really help the team if he can get real game time to get acclimatized to the NFL.
- Drake London and Kyle Pitts form a formidable receiving duo.
Houston Texans
The Texans are hoping that they have turned the page from their recent ugly off-field issues. But I don’t think that there is any chance that the page of their on-field issues will be resolved yet. The draft was a good start to building up the trenches, but there are a lot of pieces that need to be added before this team can even compete in the division.
Definition of Win:
- Davis Mills proves that he is a bonafide QB1. He impressed a lot last year and will need to keep it up this season to make sure that the Texans do not take a QB in next year’s draft.
- Dameon Pierce proves that he is a bonafide RB1. He’s the big preseason surprise out of all NFL teams but he still needs to prove it on the big stage that he can be the future lead back on this team.
- Derek Stingley Jr can be CB1 at the NFL level. Okay, you get the point — the Texans need to hit on their premium draft picks so that they can get back to winning in the next 3 years.
Jacksonville Jaguars
“Addition by Subtraction” — That’s the motto for the Jaguars this season. The post-Urban Meyer era is here and everyone is excited to see what Lawrence can truly be on a functional team. This team was bad even before Urban Meyer, so the expectations are still not high but there is definitely some need to see the offense at least show some ability to move the ball down the field.
Definition of Win:
- TLaw can show some of the things that made him one of the highest-graded QBs out of college.
- Choosing Travon Walker as the 1st overall pick was controversial; the Walker vs Hutchinson comparisons will exist forever, and the Jags can only hope that he can perform at the level expected of him.
Tennessee Titans
Last season ended with a whimper for the #1 seed in the AFC. The Titans will look to make amends for that this year. The competition will be much fiercer this year in the AFC and they will be without their star WR AJ Brown. This team somehow punches above the weight of their squad (well it isn’t a real mystery, it is because of Derrick Henry) so they should still be able to get into the playoffs. I’m not sure if Tannehill can get this team to the big dance, so this team definitely has a ceiling that is below a Super Bowl.
Definition of Win:
- The Titans need to make a deep playoff run to show that they have a future in this ultra-competitive AFC with a lot of young QBs.
- The sooner Willis becomes an NFL-level QB the brighter the future for the Titans.
Indianapolis Colts
Next on the QB carousel: Matt Ryan. Will this finally be the QB that can take the Colts to the next level? This team inexplicably failed to reach the playoffs last year even with Jonathon Taylor playing out of his mind. With Ryan on the team now, the floor of this team has to be the playoffs. The main weakness on this team is the receiver room, can draft picks like Alec Pierce and Jelani Woods make up for the missing production?
Definition of Win:
- Same as the Titans, the Colts need to make a deep playoff run this year. This is a talented team and they need to do better than the last few years. Frank Reich’s seat is not hot right now, but this team has not fulfilled its potential under his tenure.
