Football is here, ladies and gentlemen. The 2024 NFL preseason is already underway and the regular season will kick off on September 5 with Thursday Night Football between the Kansas City Chiefs and Baltimore Ravens. Here at Pickswise we are building up to the new season and you can check out our NFL futures guide, which has our Super Bowl winner picks, MVP best bets, player award predictions and much more.
For now, we are breaking down every division with in-depth team analysis and best bets. Let’s dive into the NFC South, which in recent seasons has traditionally been the worst quartet in football. Will there be any improvement in 2024? Here are the NFL odds and our expert NFL picks for the division.
NFC South Odds
Odds courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook and available at time of publishing.
- Atlanta Falcons -145 2
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers +350
- New Orleans Saints +380
- Carolina Panthers +110
Atlanta Falcons (-145)
The Falcons were unquestionably the newsmakers of the 2024 NFL offseason. They dominated the early headlines by signing the top free-agent quarterback on the market, Kirk Cousins; they were the story of the draft after – despite having just landed Cousins – selecting QB Michael Penix Jr. at #8 overall; they also made the biggest late splashes, recently acquiring edge rusher Matthew Judon and safety Justin Simmons. This was already a young team seemingly going in the right direction; now – at least on paper – it is a fantastic roster with a nice mix of youth and veterans. Moreover, Atlanta’s competition in the NFC South is probably easier than that of any other team in any other division. Anything less than at least 1 home playoff game at Mercedes-Benz Stadium would be a massive disappointment.
Atlanta Falcons best bet: Falcons to win the NFC South (-145)
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+350)
The Buccaneers have won the NFC South each of the past 3 seasons. However, they have won it the last 2 times with records of 8-9 and 9-8. In the last 2 years you could be mediocre and still take the title. It’s not entirely out of the question that simple mediocrity could be enough to get the job done yet again, but in all likelihood that won’t be the case since the Falcons have made such obvious improvements. As for the Bucs, they are pretty much running it back with the same personnel – personnel that is not getting any younger. Baker Mayfield is serviceable, but are you ever going to win anything big with him under center? No – not even with Mike Evans and Chris Godwin helping him out. Tampa Bay’s defensive front is stout and is a big reason why the team as a whole should at least be in the mix most of the way. The Bucs are nothing special but also not terrible; another season in the .500 range appears to be in the cards.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers best bet: Buccaneers Over 7.5 wins (-150)
New Orleans Saints (+380)
To an even greater extent than Tampa Bay, New Orleans is a franchise that is seemingly stuck in neutral. Since the end of the Drew Brees era, the Saints have compiled records of 9-8, 7-10 and 9-8. Nothing about their offseason suggests that they are going in the right direction. Derek Carr does not inspire any confidence at the quarterback position and he is largely running it back with the same weapons as last year. Alvin Kamara and Chris Olave are formidable skill-position players, but Kamara is up there for a running back (29 years old) and is already a bit injury prone. The leaders of the defense, Cameron Jordan (35) and Tyrann Mathieu (32), are also past their prime. Basically everything would have to go right and the talent would have to be completely maximized for this team to compete for a playoff spot. Dennis Allen is not a head coach who is likely to get that done.
New Orleans Saints best bet: Under 7.5 wins (+100)
Carolina Panthers (+1100)
Carolina was the worst team in football last season, and it wasn’t even that close. The Panthers won a grand total of 2 games; every other team in the league won at least 4. Adding insult to injury, they did not even get to use the #1 pick because they traded it to the Chicago Bears the previous year in exchange for the top pick in 2023 that became quarterback Bryce Young. It’s safe to say that Young’s rookie campaign was unremarkable, and it was even more of a disappointment when compared to that of #2 pick C.J. Stroud – who all but set the world on fire with the Houston Texans. At least the Panthers are trying to improve, which is probably more than can be said of the Saints. Dave Canales is in as head coach and the defense added Jadaveon Clowney. It’s true that Clowney is well past peak form, but at least it’s something. Carolina is going to be very bad…but maybe not the worst team in the NFL this time.
Carolina Panthers best bet: Panthers to go 0-2 against the Falcons (-125)
NFC South division predictions
- Atlanta Falcons
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers
- New Orleans Saints
- Carolina Panthers
NFC South Best Bet: Atlanta Falcons to win the division (-145)
The Falcons and their fans surely think they are serious Super Bowl contenders. They probably aren’t, but you also don’t have to be a Super Bowl contender in order to win the moribund NFC South. Simply being good should be enough to get the job done – and the Falcons are most definitely good. Their offense was already stacked and now the defense has plenty of pieces to work with thanks to the arrivals of Judon and Simmons. Combine that talent with the unspectacular competition level and Atlanta should be well on its way to the NFC South crown.
