NFL NFC South Betting Odds & Picks for the 2023 Season

 

Previous Betting News

The New Orleans Saints have won the NFC South Division four straight seasons, but those teams had future Hall of Fame quarterback Drew Brees under center. The 2021 Saints do not and thus are not favored on the NFL odds to win a fifth division title in a row.

Picks to win the NFC South 2021

Of course, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are defending Super Bowl champions, but they haven’t won the NFC South since way back in 2007 – that’s easily the longest drought in the division. With Drew Brees no longer with New Orleans, and both the Atlanta Falcons

Every single starter is back for Tampa and frankly the only question is whether Tom Brady can stay healthy and continue to play at a high level at age 43 (44 next month). It just came out that Brady played through an MCL tear last season. He initially suffered a partial MCL tear in his final season with the Patriots but played through the injury in 2020 before getting surgery this past February. Brady is fully healthy now and has one of the best trios of receivers in the NFL in Mike Evans, Chris Godwin and Antonio Brown.

Brady threw 40 regular-season touchdown passes in 2020, his first season as a Buccaneer. If he throws 40 more in 2021that would give him 80 as a Buccaneer, which would already tie Josh Freeman for the second most in franchise history.

Defensive tackle Vita Vea was one of only two players on the Buccaneers’ opening-day roster to spend more than half of the 2020 season on injured reserve. The other was tight end OJ Howard, who went down a week before Vea’s injury with a torn Achilles tendon. Both are 100 percent now. At the time of Howard’s injury he led all Buccaneer tight ends in receptions, yards and touchdowns.

The Saints will have a QB battle in camp between Jameis Winston and Taysom Hill. There have been reports that Coach Sean Payton favors Hill and he started last year when Brees was hurt. Winston attempted only 11 passes in 2020, completing seven for 75 yards.

In 2019 with the Buccaneers prior to his release, Winston had career highs in attempts, yards, touchdowns but also interceptions. He finished the year with 5,109 yards, 33 touchdowns, 30 interceptions and a 60.7 completion percentage off 626 attempts.

The Falcons traded away star receiver Julio Jones this offseason and have a new head coach in Arthur Smith. Former MVP Matt Ryan remains under center, but this could be his last season in Atlanta. He enters this season at the age of 36 and the team must begin to consider life after Ryan. Currently, Ryan is in the ninth all-time passing yards with 55,767.

Carolina is still rebuilding under second-year coach Matt Rhule, with Sam Darnold as the team’s new QB. The Panthers are hoping that by insulating Darnold with top-end skill position players and adding to the offensive line in front of him, they can get back to the version of Darnold we saw at Southern Cal.

Keep in mind that the Panthers barely had star running back Christian McCaffrey last season due to injury and he’s good to go. McCaffrey proved in his last healthy season that he’s the kind of player you can build an offense around. In 2019, he had 1,387 rushing yards and another 1,005 receiving, as he led the league with 2,392 yards from scrimmage.

Expert Prediction

Bucs, Saints, Falcons, Panthers order of finish

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MyBookie Betting Lines for the Game

 

 

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It is very tough to go from a really poor season to a big winning one over the course of a single offseason, but it can be done. Even before the draft rolled around, it was clear which teams were fully invested in making a big leap this coming season. Perhaps the most active of all teams this offseason was the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, as they look to make an upward move in the NFC South, which has been ruled by the New Orleans Saints over the past couple of seasons. The Falcons are also looking to get back to the top, while the Carolina Panthers are in full rebuild mode. Let’s take a closer look at all 4 teams in the NFC South and their NFL odds to win it this season.

NFC South Divisional Odds After 2020 Draft

New Orleans Saints

NFC South Divisional Odds: +105

Top to bottom, you could reasonably argue that the New Orleans Saints are one of the most complete teams in the league. They have been close the last couple of seasons, ending the regular season at 13-3, but they have been unable to take that final step to the Super Bowl. They had some concerns this offseason, with QB Drew Brees contemplating retirement. Brees will be back, which means that the Saints really have very few needs right now. They only had 4 picks in the draft, so it will basically be the team that we saw last year that starts this season, which is a good thing.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

NFC South Divisional Odds: +130

The Buccaneers made some serious waves in the NFL when they won the race to land free agent Tom Brady. It was a huge move for this team, but they were not done yet, as they also went out and landed TE Rob Gronkowski right before the draft. Both players are great signings, but the reality is that the Bucs have a very small window of opportunity with them on the team. They did draft really well, though, and picked up a few players who will be able to start and contribute right away. They need to be considered a good bet to win the division.

Atlanta Falcons

NFC South Divisional Odds: +700

You hate to talk about a coach getting fired before the season even begins, but it is very clear that Dan Quinn is entering this season on the hot seat. He may not have been in a job had the Falcons not ended the season strong, winning the final 4 games of the year to finish at 7-9. There were some rumors that the Falcons were going to swing a big trade at the draft, but that never materialized. They had a solid 3 days at the draft, but they did not really land any “wow” type of players. They definitely need to be considered a longshot in this division.

Carolina Panthers

NFC South Divisional Odds: +1800

The Panthers have rid themselves of some players who have been around for a while, with Cam Newton and Greg Olsen at the top of the list. That, as well as a few other moves, indicate that the Panthers are looking to rebuild. The Panthers finished at the bottom of the division with a 5-11 record last season, and they figure to perhaps be even worse this season. The Panthers did have a good draft, but they are still a long way off from competing.

 

 

Previous Betting News

Last NFL Season, no division produced as many playoff teams as the NFC South. The New Orleans Saints, Carolina Panthers, and Atlanta Falcons all made the playoffs. The Saints came out on top in the division last season. Could the same thing happen this season? Let’s check the NFL betting odds to win the NFC South in 2018 while making some predictions.

2018 NFC South NFL Odds & Picks

Founded: 2002
Most Recent Champion: New Orleans Saints
Most NFC South titles: Carolina Panthers (5)

NFL Betting Favorite

New Orleans Saints +150 / Atlanta Falcons +150

The Saints and Falcons have garnered the most attention to win the contentious NFC South Division. New Orleans projects to have one of the best rushing attacks, if not the best, in the NFL. The Saints’ defense should also be very good.

Atlanta will improve on offense. Last season, QB Matt Ryan and new offensive coordinator Steve Sarkisian weren’t always on the same page. This season, the two should be on the same page from Week 1. If Atlanta’s defense has improved, they’ll be tough to beat.

The NFC South is ultra-contentious, though. It makes sense to look at the other two teams offering better odds to win the division.

Smart NFL Betting Pick

Carolina Panthers +220

What’s wrong with the Carolina Panthers? The Panthers battled the Saints tough in the NFC Playoffs after securing a wildcard berth. QB Cam Newton is one of the most dynamic quarterbacks in the NFL.

Carolina’s defense should be as good as it normally is. The real key is if middle linebacker Luke Kuechly can stay healthy. If Luke can stay healthy, the Panthers will boast one of the better defenses in the league.

Carolina decided to give Cam plenty of wide receiving weapons. The Panthers selected speedy WR DJ Moore in the 2018 NFL Draft. They also signed veteran WR Torrey Smith. Both will help Newton in the passing game.

One final thing to mention is that Greg Olsen was hurt for most of last season. If Olsen is healthy throughout the entire season, the Panthers could be very difficult to beat.

NFL Betting Longshot

Tampa Bay Buccaneers +580

Tampa Bay projects to be the worst team in the NFC South. That might not turn out to be the case, though. Tampa looks to have improved big time on defense. They drafted defensive tackle Vita Vea with pick 12 in Round 1. Vea will stop the rush. He’s good enough to pressure quarterbacks from the defensive tackle position. That’s going to help Tampa’s underrated secondary.

On offense, QB Jameis Winston should improve with RB Ronald Jones II in the fold. Jones II was the highest ranked running back coming out of high school. He’s a huge step up from Doug Martin.

Everything could line up perfectly for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this season.

Last 10 NFC South Champions

 

 

Previous Betting News

The Atlanta Falcons may have been on the wrong end of a now, historic Super Bowl collapse when we last saw them, but the high-scoring 2016 NFC champions are favored to repeat as champs in the NFC South and contend for conference supremacy once again in 2017. However, let’s find out right now if the current betting odds to win the NFC south division gives us a glimpse of which team has the best chances against the Falcons.

The big question now heading into the upcoming campaign is whether or not the Falcons can rebound to soar from their Super Bowl heartbreak or whether one of their conference rivals can unseat them in what looks like a tight division race just waiting to happen in 2017. Oh, and just so you know, every team in the division except Tampa Bay has won at least two division titles since 2008, with Carolina getting four, New Orleans bagging a pair and the Falcons winning three.

In Depth Analysis on the NFL Winning Picks to Win the NFC South

The Favorite: Atlanta Falcons +130

The Falcons went 11-5 SU and 10-6 ATS in 2016 to bring the Carolina Panthers’ three-year run as NFC South champions to an abrupt halt in 2016 before going on to beat Seattle in the divisional round and Green Bay in the conference title tilt.

However, the Falcons saw offensive coordinator Mike Shanahan bolt to take the head coaching job in San Francisco and that may or may not have an effect on an offense that ranked first in scoring (33.8 ppg) last season. The good news is that Atlanta has their entire core group of offensive stars back from last season’s team including Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman and made a nice hire by naming former USC and Washington head coach as their new offensive coordinator.

The Falcons need to really upgrade a defense that finished 25th overall, 28th against the pass and 27th in points allowed (25.4 ppg) and to that end, Atlanta brought in veteran nose tackle Dontari Poe and traded up to snag UCLA defensive end Takkarist McKinley in the first round and linebacker Duke Riley in the third round. If the Falcons can come close to the offensive production they produced last season while improving their defense just a bit, they could both, win the NFC South while challenging to make consecutive Super Bowl appearances.

Atlanta Falcons Team Statistics

The Smart Pick: Carolina Panthers +180

Carolina fell to 6-10 SU and 6-9-1 ATS in 2016 just one year after reaching Super Bowl 50. The Panthers and Cam Newton struggled in ranking 21st in passing last season and a modest 15th in scoring (23..1 ppg),but they added a pair of electrifying rookies in versatile Stanford running back Christian McCaffery and speedy Ohio State wide receiver Curtis Samuel that should help pay dividends right away.

The bigger problem for the Panthers last season was a defense that fell off in a big way in finishing 21st overall, a pitiful 29th against the pass and 26th in points allowed (25.1 ppg). To help address their defensive woes, the Panthers added veteran defensive end Julius Peppers and traded up in the third round for Texas A&M’s defensive lineman Daeshon Hall. After being banged up nearly all of last season, a healthy Cam Newton and some improved defensive play and I believe it’s quite possible the Panthers could contend in a big way.

Carolina Panthers Team Statistics

The Longshot: Tampa Bay Buccaneers +300

The Bucs aren’t getting a whole lot of love from oddsmakers apparently, even though they beat Carolina for second place in the NFC South last season and recorded a winning recording by going 9-7. Now, as they get set for the upcoming 2017 season, I think it’s quite possible that Jameis Winston and company could take another step forward after nearly reaching the playoffs a year ago.

Tampa Bay recorded a winning record in 2016, but they didn’t exactly shine on either side of the ball while allowing more points per game (23.1 ppg) than they scored (22.1 ppg). The good news is that the Buccaneers addressed their roster needs to near perfection by giving Watson more genuine playmakers than he’s ever had.

The Bucs added fleet-footed veteran wide receiver DeSean Jackson and rookie tight end O.J. Howard to pair with Pro Bowl wideout Mike Evans and they also added two more players that will contribute right away in Penn State wide receiver Chris Godwin and former Boise State running back Jeremy McNichols.

Tampa Bay didn’t address it needs on defense as much as I would have preferred, but they certainly gave Winston the weapons to make the Bucs one of the most potent offenses in the league and I believe they could exceed expectations in 2017 to challenge for the division title as a +300 longshot.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers Team Statistics

 

 

Previous Betting News

With three straight NFC South titles to their name, including a franchise-record 15-1 campaign in 2015, the Carolina Panthers are seeking to record their fourth successive divisional title in 2016 and the Oddsmakers have them as the biggest divisional favorites in the 2016 NFL odds and lines. With nearly all the remaining members of the AFC South expected to somewhat improve in 2016, can anyone unseat the Panthers from the divisional throne, or will it be business as usual for Carolina? Below we take a stab at 2016 NFC South Futures with the following bold NFL picks.

In Depth Analysis On The 2016 NFL Expert Predictions For The NFC South

Favorite NFC South Pick 2016: Carolina Panthers

Though the Carolina Panthers have a tougher Strength of Schedule (SOS) than they did in 2015, their SOS is still the easiest of all NFC South teams, which should serve them rather well in the bid to claim their 7th All-time divisional title and 5th since 2008. Roster-wise, the only ‘big loss’ in the offseason was cornerback Josh Norman, but with two 2016 draft picks used on CBs, that position should we well catered for. Offensively, reigning NFL MVP Cam Newton appears to have the game figured out and should continue to stay hot now that star receiver Kelvin Benjamin, one of Newton’s top targets over the last couple of seasons, is back in the fold healthy after missing the entire 2015 season due to an ACL tear. Getting to repeat as champions should therefore not be that big a deal for the 2016 Panthers unit.

Smart NFC South Pick 2016: New Orleans Saints

Even with a poor defense and less-than-stellar group of young receivers to serve him in 2015, Drew Brees still had a big season, leading New Orleans to a first-place NFL finish in passing yards per game (310.6) while helping the Saints to a decent number of wins. To put Brees in a position to do even better in 2016, the Saints added a good number of players in the defense (including rookie DTs Sheldon Rankings and David Onyemata plus a host of big agent free agent signings) while the offense also upgraded in terms of offensive targets like veteran WR Hakeem Nicks, who just signed a one-year deal with the team. Should these offseason adjustments pan out positively as we expect them to do, the Saints can be expected to offer the strongest challenge to Carolina’s title credentials.

Longshot NFC South Pick 2016: Tampa Bay

The Falcons are priced as second-favorites in most sportsbooks and after shining well enough through the Matt Ryan and Julio Jones-led offense and the defense allowing the third-fewest TDS in 2015, it’s hard to discount them from doing well again in 2016. Unfortunately for the Falcons, they have the toughest strength of schedule in the entire NFL in 2016 and every team in the South looks strong, so wins won’t be coming that easy for them in 2016. With that in mind, we feel the Buccaneers offer the best longshot chance in the 2016 NFC South title betting odds.

Besides showing a lot of spirit and improvement in Jameis Winston’s first season in the pros, the Bucs (7-9 in 2015) have a solid running game to support the QB while the team made some pretty good moves in the offseason, especially in regards to strengthening their O and D lines. Lovie Smith and his squad should thus be primed for a better running in the chase for the NFC South crown.

2016 NFC South Predictions

While it doesn’t look like the Panthers will be matching or bettering their 15-1 campaign in 2015, Carolina is still the most to-to-bottom balanced squad in the NFC South; something that should eventually allow them to come out tops in the division. Brees and the Saints will probably finish a close second behind the Panthers, with the Falcons and Buccaneers duking it out anyhowly for the third and fourth positions.

My 2016 NFC South Winning Pick: Carolina

 

 

Previous Betting News

We are at that time of the year when things are starting to really heat up in regards the NFL. Training camps will be getting underway before you know it, but the speculation as to who the big winners and losers might be this season has been going on for a while now. The online NFL betting odds are up at MyBookie.ag, and that means it’s time to start looking at where to put your money of you want to cash out some winning tickets this coming season. We will, of course, take an in depth look at every team, division, and conference over the coming weeks, and you guys will probably see a lot of bold predictions made during that time. Today, though, I am going to focus on the NFC South, and the 4 teams that will be looking to take the crown and head to the playoffs. The betting odds that you see beside each team are their current odds to win the division. Let’s take a look:

Check Out Our Special NFC South NFL Odds & Picks Guide

Carolina Panthers (-240)

The Panthers won this division in a romp last season, going 15-1 and making it all the way to the Super Bowl before losing to the Denver Broncos. There is nothing that suggests that this team won’t win the NFC South this season, as they still have more talent than any of the other three teams in the division. They did lose Josh Norman to free agency, but the Carolina Panthers still have the majority of the players that delivered a season to remember last year. There may be a slight fall off for them, but not enough for them to lose the South, unless of course Cam Newton gets hurt.

Atlanta Falcons (+500)

Last season saw a change at the top in the Falcons organization, with coach Dan Quin brought in to replace Mike Smith. Atlanta started the season 5-0, but their dreams were pretty quickly squashed, as they went on to lose 8 of their next 11 to finish the season at 8-8. There have been a few changes made to personnel, with the Falcons looking to offer more protection to QB Matt Ryan who had an off-year last season. Those changes may not be enough, especially when you consider that Atlanta will be saddled with one of the toughest schedules in all of football.

New Orleans Saints (+600)

We are drifting ever closer to the end of the Drew Brees era in New Orleans, and how this team does will depend on a couple of different factors. Brees needs to deliver on more great season, and the defense needs to be a whole lot better than it was last season, when they were 31st in the NFL in points conceded. The Saints drafted well on the defensive side of the ball, but they are going to need those guys to step in and make an immediate impact if they are going to do better than their 7-9 record last season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+700)

If there is a team that might spring a surprise in this division, it could well be the Buccaneers. Jameis Winston had a solid first year at QB, leading the offense to 5th best in the league. The defense sat just outside the top 10 overall last season, and it was somewhat surprising to see this team finish 6-10 given that they played well on both sides of the ball. If the offense and defense can both deliver good numbers again, this team might just sneak into a Wild Card spot.

 

 

Previous Betting News

The jury is still out on whether the Carolina Panthers can repeat their magical run from last year, which saw them lose just two games en route to a long shot appearance in Super Bowl 50. Obviously, things won’t be easy for the Panthers who will have a target on their back right from Week 1, but with Carolina retaining most of its core and adding a couple of pieces to the team; the expectation is that the Panthers will be the class of the NFC South in this year’s NFL betting lines. Here is a look at what you can expect from Carolina and other NFC South members in the coming seasons, particularly in regards to challenging for the divisional title.

Who has the Best NFL Odds to win the NFC South?

Carolina Panthers (-300 Odds to win NFC South)

Predicted Finish: 11-5, OVER 10.5 in Season Totals

Despite losing All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman to free agency (who will undoubtedly be tough to replace), the Panthers bring back the majority of their players from their unprecedented 15-1 campaign in 2015, led by defending MVP Cam Newton in the offense and star linebacker Luke Kuechly in the defense. That should see the Panthers remain solid for another divisional title-run in the always-mediocre NFC South division. Plus, Carolina selected two cornerbacks in the draft in round three and five, which should help in filling up the void left by Norman.

Atlanta Falcons (+650)

Predicted Finish: 7-9, UNDER 7.5 in Season Totals

As long as the lethal QB-WR combo of Matt Ryan and Julio Jones—along with the multi-talented Devonta Freeman—is still present in Atlanta, the Falcons will always be a competitive team, at least in the offensively. In the defense, the Falcons are a work in progress, but the team did show lots of improvement last season, allowing the third-fewest touchdowns in the league (19). If the team can tailor its free agents and draftees into the squad appropriately, we should see more improvements in the upcoming season. But then again, the Falcons will be playing a really gruesome schedule, as per last year’s win-loss record, and this squad has repeatedly shown the annoying tendency of slowing down their performance towards the end of the season—as evidenced by them going 3-8 in their last 11 games the past season after a strong 5-0 start. With that, tempered hopes are recommended when handicapping Atlanta’s performance ceiling for the upcoming season.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+700)

Predicted Finish: 8-8, OVER 7.5 in Season Totals

Looking at the numbers posted by QB Jameis Winston in his rookie year, which included leading the Buccaneers to thrice as many wins (6) as the previous season (2), there is definitely a real chance for this Tampa Bay team to have even a better year. Like Atlanta, the Bucs have some questions to answer in the defense, but if the Winston-led offense can tap into the potential of their new head coach Dirk Koetter, who served them previously as the offensive coordinator, then the Bucs should be good for at least a .500 season, give or take one win.

New Orleans Saints (+800)

Predicted Finish: 9-7, OVER 7.0 in Season Totals

Again, it’s hard to overlook a team that has a veteran QB who threw a record seven touchdown in a game against the Giants last season. Drew Brees is as good as they come for quarterbacks and the addition of some offensive weapons in the offseason will ensure that he goes above 4,000 passing yards, as he has done so consistently over the years. Having spent the offseason beefing up their defense will also help their cause. But even if the defense won’t come around well in the new season, this is a team that finished with a 7-9 record last year despite having the worst defense in the NFL, so they probably won’t get worse than last year, I believe.