After a thrilling season, the NFL is officially over for another year. So, the team at SportsTips thought it would be a good idea to go through every team in the NFC South, and have a look at the year that was!
Atlanta Falcons
At 7-10, the Atlanta Falcons somehow stayed in the playoff race until the final weeks of the season. On offense, they have excellent options, as Calvin Ridley continues to become one of the league’s finest wideouts. The team also scored big in the 2021 draft, as rookie tight end Kyle Pitts looks like the next Travis Kelce.
Still, questions remain for this offense, as Matt Ryan is currently on a downward trend in his career, and the Falcons had one of the worst rushing offenses in football. Running back Mike Davis couldn’t get the job done, and despite Cordarrelle Patterson being dynamic, he doesn’t quite have what it takes to be a full-time back.
#️⃣2️⃣ on 2/22/22
📺: https://t.co/8tGnbNnWW3 pic.twitter.com/skOFzzztLC
— Atlanta Falcons (@AtlantaFalcons) February 22, 2022
On defense, they also didn’t get much help, as this unit gave up the fourth-most points per game in the NFL. The Falcons did a great job taking out teams worse than them, but they only recorded two victories against teams with winning records as they beat the 9-8 New Orleans Saints and Miami Dolphins (both of those teams failed to make the playoffs).
The Falcons went 0-7 against teams that made the playoffs, and they were outscored 79-238 in those games. So despite a record of just under .500, it seems this Falcons team still has a long way to go.
Carolina Panthers
For what it’s worth, the Carolina Panthers were probably one of the better last-place teams this season. Sure, 5-12 isn’t pretty, but the Panthers didn’t just have an up-and-coming defense—they had a very strong one. They ranked second in the fewest opponent yards per game and ranked in the top five for the fewest opponent pass yards per game.
https://t.co/nZVbB3KI8V pic.twitter.com/b8P9w6wEuL
— Carolina Panthers (@Panthers) February 18, 2022
Unfortunately, their offense needs some serious work: they were in the bottom five for total yards and passing yards per game. While their run offense was a bit better, they’re still finding it hard to rely on superstar running back Christian McCaffery due to his persistent injuries. Additionally, the team had a terrible time with the quarterback position.
At first, it looked like quarterback Sam Darnold would thrive in his second chance after a poor stint with the New York Jets. But, it didn’t take long for him to fall back into old habits. While the Panthers’ defense needs very few tweaks going forward, it might take the offense a couple of years to become a contender.
New Orleans Saints
In season one of the post-Drew Brees era, the New Orleans Saints didn’t quite have what it takes to make the playoffs. They finished 9-8 and struggled to create on offense, throwing for a league-worst 187.4 yards per game. Aside from Brees retiring, the team missed star receiver Michael Thomas and were without Pro-Bowl running back Alvin Kamara for four games.
Luckily, the Saints’ defense continued to excel, as they were a top ten unit thanks to having one of the five best rush defenses in football. Much like the Colts, next season’s success will depend highly on the quarterback position. The Saints have so many strong pieces on both sides of the ball, but they need a better option at behind center.
It’s 2️⃣2️⃣ – 2️⃣2️⃣
Make somebody smile today 😄 pic.twitter.com/qlPBcRqvei
— New Orleans Saints (@Saints) February 22, 2022
That’s what will make the difference between being 9-8 and a legitimate contender. Unfortunately, another issue has risen in recent weeks: only one season after quarterback Drew Brees hung up his cleats, coach Sean Payton has now retired as well.
Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will take over after doing a phenomenal job with that unit. Looking ahead, the defense should continue to be good to go, but what Allen does at QB will be the real difference-maker for this franchise.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The defending Super Bowl champions came out this season looking hungry to repeat; they once again were excellent on both sides of the ball. Their defensive front seven continued to be one of the league’s scariest, as the Tampa Bay Buccaneers defense was third in the fewest rush yards allowed and top five in takeaways.
On offense, Tom Brady continued to show why he’s the greatest of all time: at 44-years-old, he led the league with 43 touchdowns and over 5,000 passing yards. But as the season went along, the Bucs started to get hit with injuries, including a depleted run game and star receiver Chris Godwin.
Still, the Bucs won the NFC South with a 13-4 record and just missed out on the first overall seed in the NFC. In the first round of the playoffs, they steamrolled the Philadelphia Eagles 31-15, but when they got to their divisional-round matchup against the Los Angeles Rams, it seemed the Bucs were running low on fuel.
Who’s your #Bucs MVP for the 2021 season? ⬇️
— Tampa Bay Buccaneers (@Buccaneers) February 19, 2022
They went down 3-20 at halftime, and despite a valiant second-half comeback, they couldn’t contain the Rams’ pass attack, eventually losing 27-30. As if that pill wasn’t hard enough to swallow, the Bucs would then receive news that Tom Brady was hanging up his cleats—ending a Hall-of-Fame career.
While the Buccaneers still have plenty of weapons on both sides of the ball, they’ll need to find a very good replacement for Brady if they want any chance at getting back to the Super Bowl. No one can replace TB12, but the Bucs will still attempt to bring in a viable option so they can continue to compete among the best.
Even though the season has finished, we’ve got you covered with all the latest information on the NFL! We keep you as up to date as possible, so you don’t miss any of the action this off-season.
