Atlanta Falcons: The Biggest Threat from Each NFC South Opponent
With the Draft and free agency now over, what do the Falcons have to worry about the most from each of their NFC South opponents?
Carolina Panthers – Offense
The drafting of Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel make what was once perceived to be a big, plodding attack now much more explosive and versatile. Both of these rookies can line up as running backs or wide receivers (as well as return kicks and punts) making the Panther offense much more difficult predict based on personnel packages. Even after they line up, the positional flexibility that McCaffrey and Samuel possess means motioning out to a different position is always a possibility. They also give Cam Newton reliable dump-off options that should increase his 52.9 completion percentage from last year. Offensive Coordinator Mike Shula must have been doing backflips after these two were selected.
Also, adding Taylor Moton via the draft and Matt Kalil via free agency strengthens an offensive line that allowed too much pressure on Cam Newton last year.
New Orleans Saints – Defense
Saying the Saints’ defense now “scares” me is an exaggeration, but I do think it got better over the offseason. They added Marshon Lattimore, Marcus Williams, Alex Anzalone, and Trey Hendrickson via the draft and Alex Okafor and Manti T’eo in free agency. While these additions will not suddenly catapult the second-worst defense (in terms of points allowed) to respectability, they do provide a solid foundation for future improvement (don’t forget about Sheldon Rankins an Vonn Bell from 2016 and Stephone Anthony and Hau’oli Kikaha in 2015).
Must Read: Matt Ryan: Journey to MVP
Tampa Bay Buccaneers – Offense
As with Carolina, the additions of OJ Howard and Chris Goodwin via the draft and DeSean Jackson via free agency make Tampa’s offense much faster and more explosive. Adding this trio to Mike Evans and Cameron Brate gives the ascending Jameis WInston a plethora of weapons at his disposal. Granted, pass protection and the running game are still question marks for the Buccaneers, but their passing attack clearly got a lot better.