The NFC South no doubt has the potential to produce two, maybe three playoff teams by the end of the 2022 season, but with the GOAT returning for yet another season in the NFL, it's going to be hard to once again count out the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The rest of the division should be very fun, as every team has intriguing talents and potentially very fun teams to watch, but in the race to catch the Buccaneers and stop Brady from winning yet another Super Bowl, here's how we see the NFC South playing out in 2022.
4. Atlanta Falcons
For the Atlanta Falcons, almost everything has been downhill since that embarrassing loss in the Super Bowl, and after trading away Matt Ryan this off-season, it's very clear that this team is in rebuild mode, and could be very, very bad in 2022. They've got some young talent in AJ Terrell, Kyle Pitts and Drake London, and Desmond Ridder could be their Quarterback of the future, but right now, 2022 is looking very bleak, as Atlanta could certainly be in line for the No. 1 overall pick in 2023.
3. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers are one of the NFL's most intriguing teams, as they could be a surprise dark horse for the NFC playoffs, but could also stumble and fall and struggle to make much of an impact in the NFC South. If Baker Mayfield, Christian McCaffrey and the rest of this offence is healthy, they're certainly going to win some games, but even at their best, this team will struggle to climb any higher than third place in the NFC South behind two genuine Super Bowl threats.
2. New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints took a massive blow with both Drew Brees and Sean Payton departing in recent times, but with Jameis Winston ready to step in and both Alvin Kamara and Michael Thomas back in 2022, this team could be better than many expect. Winston's last year as a starter came in Tampa, where he put up amazing numbers, and despite his interception total, was one of the most entertaining QB's in the league, and if New Orleans can reign that in this coming season, this could and should be a Wild Card team in the NFC.
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Once again, it's silly to bet against Tom Brady at this point, and while Gronk isn't with the team right now (most, including his agent expect him to be by seasons end), Brady still has some amazing weapons with the likes of Mike Evans and Chris Godwin to help him out. It's not going to be as dominant a squad as we've seen over the past few seasons, but the talent and leadership is there, and under Todd Bowles for the first time as a head coach, this team should again work their way to a division crown, in an NFC South that will be tougher than most expect in 2022.
Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports
Photo Credit: Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports
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