The NFC South was the worst division in the NFL this past season, with no team winning 10 games on the year. But someone had to win it and the race to get there was an exciting one. Here, we look at the NFC South futures odds and make our NFL betting picks for the division as its four teams look to improve from last year’s underwhelming campaign.
NFC South Futures Betting Odds
Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons blew their chance to win the NFC South last season, losing several games down the stretch in the regular season. They could not find any quality quarterback play from Taylor Heinicke and Desmond Ridder this season. That, combined with some poor coaching, led to the firing of head coach Arthur Smith. This year, Raheem Morris takes over as head coach, with Kirk Cousins set to be his starting quarterback in a year the Falcons hope is better than last season.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were the winners of the NFC South with a 9-8 record. The Bucs were inconsistent offensively this season, with Baker Mayfield having the same ups and downs that we are accustomed to seeing from him. But he did enough to get his team to the top of the standings and he even led the team to a win in the playoffs. But Mayfield will need to play even better this year to hold off the Falcons at the top of this division.
New Orleans Saints
The New Orleans Saints finished second in the NFC South and narrowly missed out on making the playoffs a season ago. Derek Carr had his moments of brilliance as the quarterback of the Saints, but those moments were too few and far between. This team is in an interesting place going into 2024, as Carr is not getting any younger and his main offensive weapons continue to battle issues with injuries. But the Saints certainly have a chance to finish in first place in the NFC South in 2024.
Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers were the worst team in the NFL in 2023. They won just two games and rookie quarterback Bryce Young engineered an offense that did not hold a lead at any time in the fourth quarters of their games, winning twice on game-ending field goals. Making matters worse, the Panthers did not have their first-round pick in the upcoming NFL Draft, having sent it to the Chicago Bears in the deal they made to get Young last year. This should be another long year in Charlotte.
2024 NFC South Futures Prediction
Next season will be an interesting one in the NFC South, as someone simply has to improve to take over this division. The Saints appear to be the most likely team to do that, as we will back New Orleans to get healthy and stay healthy to propel them to the top of a division that should be pretty mediocre as a whole in 2024.
