NFC South

1st - Saints

The Saints are all-in on this season after maxing out their salary cap with the Jimmy Graham deal and signing prized free agent, Jairus Byrd. The injury status of Drew Brees during the preseason has to worry the Saints a bit, but Brees is a tough QB and should be ready to make another run at a Super Bowl. The three-safety defense that Rob Ryan has in store should be entertaining to watch and should finally have that side of the ball performing at an equal level to the offense.

The Saints are going to be one of the elite teams in the NFL in 2014.

2nd - Buccaneers

One of the biggest moves for the Buccaneers this offseason was addition by subtraction when they fired Greg Schiano, whose authoritative approach was not appreciated by NFL players. So the Bucs went and signed one of the most beloved “Players’ Coaches” in Lovie Smith, who will turn this talented roster into a NFC South contender in his first season. The Logan Mankins trade was a steal and should solidify the biggest question mark the Buccaneers had going into the 2014 season.

The Tampa-2 will be back in Tampa and Michael Johnson & Gerald McCoy should be disruptive forces along the defensive line.

 

3rd - Falcons

The Falcons offensive line is going to hold them back in 2014 and the running game is going to be stagnant with Steven Jackson in and out of the lineup as he nurses every injury in the book for old running backs.

Matt Ryan will be happy to have Julio Jones back and rookie Devonta Freeman could provide a spark at the running back position, but his safety blanket, Tony Gonzalez has retired. Levine Toilolo could be a breakout player at TE if he’s not limited by needing to stay in and help the line block.

The defense will need to improve with Mike Nolan bringing in some preferred pieces to better fit his style of defense, but the Sean Weatherspoon injury really huts their potential this year.

4th - Panthers

The Panthers are going to have to rely on their defense again in 2014 because Cam Newton is going to have some growing pains on offense as he welcomes a lot of new faces. The Panthers lost 4 of the top 5 WRs this offseason and long-time LT Jordan Gross retired. Kelvin Benjamin appears to be the real deal, but it will take some time for Cam and Kelvin to build a rapport.

The injury to Cam Newton’s back is worrisome too. He’s coming off ankle surgery over the offseason and now has a hairline fracture in his back, leaving him questionable for week 1. Combine the injuries with a bad offensive line, and Cam Newton could find himself uncomfortable all season long.

 

NFC West

1st - 49ers

The 49ers have been knocking on the door for the past few seasons. Despite losing Navarro Bowman and Aldon Smith for the first half of the season, the 49ers have been collecting depth for the past few seasons and it’s about to pay off. After somewhat of a down year, Kaepernick could be a MVP candidate this season with the added weapons at WR (Stevie Johnson; Bruce Ellington) to go with Anquan Boldin and Michael Crabtree. Everyone has been projecting the downfall of Frank Gore for years, but with Carlos Hyde and Marcus Lattimore on deck, the 49ers depth has them prepared for any drop off in production from the 31-year old running back.

 

2nd - Seahawks

It’s almost impossible to repeat as Super Bowl champions in the NFL nowadays, but the Seahawks are set up better than recent winners to establish themselves as the team to beat once again. Their depth on the defensive line is not as strong heading into 2014 and the desire of Marshawn Lynch has to be called into question, but unless Percy Harvin gets knocked out for the season again and the Madden Curse strikes the #LOB the Seahawks should be a force to be reckoned with for the foreseeable future.

Besides complacency, the biggest hurdle standing in the Seahawks way in 2014 could be the new illegal contact rules hurting their aggressive style of defense.

3rd - Cardinals

The Cardinals are the last team to beat the Super Bowl Champions and they did so in an impressive performance at CenturyLink Field in Seattle. The question in Arizona is can Carson Palmer and Larry Fitzgerald carry the offense against the powerhouse defenses that fill the NFC West?

 

4th - Rams

The Rams were going to be one of the surprise picks of 2014 until Sam Bradford tore his ACL, again.

Kenny Britt was going to be comeback player of the year, until Sam Bradford tore his ACL.

The defense should still be one of the best in the NFL, despite the paltry offense putting them in poor situations, but with Shaun Hill at QB, the Rams have no chance in the NFC West against 3 of the top-8 defenses in the league.

 

Up Next: Playoffs, Super Bowl XLIX, and Awards Predictions