On paper the NFC South has the toughest schedule of any division. They’re matched against the ever-tough NFC East and the AFC East who all (well, nearly all) had really good 2008 seasons. Whilst the schedule strength is measured against last year’s performance, it’s still an indicator worth paying attention to.


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The Panthers look strong again. If they can avoid too much drama with Peppers then the D is going to be one to watch with Ron Meeks as the new coordinator. Offensively it’s largely as you were, and they’re a talented bunch. I’d put them up as a serious contender. It’s hard to look beyond them as divisional champions. The Falcons could run them close again, but not close enough.

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The Bucs are facing a tough season because of how the schedule plays out. They have a very tough first half of the season, including a “home” game in London. I always like to cheer the nominal home team but I think they’re going to get turned over something terrible by the Pats. I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Bucs leaving Wembley and heading to their bye with a 2-5 record.

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The Falcons were a bit of a surprise package last year. Firstly Michael Turner started to look like a game-winning back and then Matt Ryan was… well, he was impressive. But hands up who’d be surprised at a sophomore slump for last season’s Rookie Of The Year? Their offense hasn’t changed much from last season, but the D has. Last year was a solid “bend but don’t break” unit (24th in yards allowed but 10th in points) and it’ll be interesting to watch how they start the season.

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I loved seeing the Saints last year, and there are still 3 ‘Be A Saint’ flags kicking around the house. Brees was on awesome form last year, and it was fantastic to see a QB as good as he was in action. Despite that, they fell short of post-season with a disappointing 8-8. This year, I can possibly see them improving on that… slightly. A Wild Card spot is a possibility, but not a strong one.

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