How Does the NFC South Compare to the NFC West?
The two best divisions in the NFL just may be the NFC South and the NFC West in 2020.
From star power to competitive teams, these two divisions have the makings to play the most compelling football all season.
The 49ers return to the West as reigning NFC Champions while the Seahawks came just inches away from taking the one-seed away from San Francisco in 2019. The Rams, NFC Champions from 2018, finished third despite winning nine games.
In the South, the Saints return as the clear favorites after a 13-3 2019, but will surely face a tougher slate of division opponents after a busy offseason. Tom Brady and the Buccaneers provide a new challenger to New Orleans while the additions of Todd Gurley, Dante Fowler and Hayden Hurst make Atlanta a sleeper pick to make the playoffs.
Good luck finding two divisions with more intrigue this season.
Of the top nine teams with the best odds to win the Super Bowl this season, four of them play in the NFC South or the NFC West.
What separates these divisions, though, is a level of certainty. The 49ers or Seahawks will be favored to win the West in 2020, followed closely by the Rams and Cardinals, the same order of these four teams from 2019.
The South is a different story.
While the Saints return a similar look with Drew Brees and Sean Payton defending their division crown, the rest of their rivals have undergone significant changes this offseason. Carolina will feature Teddy Bridgewater, not Cam Newton, under center. The Falcons were as busy as anyone in free agency, specifically on the offensive side of the ball.
Oh, and Tom Brady is the new quarterback in Tampa.
These two divisions have consistently produced the top teams the NFC has to offer. Six of the last seven NFC Champions have been from the South or the West. The only team in that span to represent the conference in a Super Bowl from another division was the Eagles in 2017.
These divisions have been a revolving door of Super Bowl level teams.
The Panthers finished last in the South last season but made the Super Bowl in 2015. The 49ers won the NFC in 2013, slumped for a few years before returning to prominence last season.
A team can see their fortunes come and go quickly while playing in such a loaded division.
With the NFL expanding the playoffs to seven teams per conference in 2020, the door will be left open for battle-tested teams hovering around a .500 record to sneak in the postseason starting this season.
Don’t be surprised if the NFC South and the NFC West provide not only stacked division champions, but also overqualified Wild Card teams poised to make a run in the playoffs.
Join the Falcon Report Community!
Subscribe to the Dirty Birds Podcast! Available on iTunes, Spotify, Google Podcasts, iHeart Radio
Follow us on Twitter: @FalconsSI
