To get you ready for the 2023 NFL season, CBS Sports is diving into every team around the league, including the NFC South, which is pretty wide open this season. There are new and emerging quarterbacks in this division, keeping things interesting as we head into the new season.
Below we look at the scouting report for each team in the division, one interesting fact for each and the best and worst fan moments in each of the franchise’s history.
Team’s most important players:
2023 scouting report: The post-Tom Brady era begins in Tampa Bay with Baker Mayfield and Kyle Trask competing to be Brady’s heir. If the Patriots‘ last three years is any indication, life after Brady won’t be easy, but at least the Buccaneers play in the NFC South, where even a losing record is good enough to win a division.
Interesting fact to know for 2023 season: It’ll be interesting to see if this Mike Evans streak continues with Brady retired. Evans has nine straight seasons with 1,000 receiving yards, the longest streak to begin a career in NFL history. Only Jerry Rice (11 straight) has a longer streak at any point in a career.
Best fan moment in team history — Winning a home Super Bowl: The Buccaneers became the first team in NFL history to win a home Super Bowl, when they did so during the 2020 season, led by their new quarterback Tom Brady. The Bucs, who were also the first team to even play a home Super Bowl, defeated the Kansas City Chiefs 31-9.
Worst fan moment in team history — 0-14 inaugural season; 0-26 in first 26 games: The Buccaneers’ first season as a franchise was in 1976. While it was exciting for Tampa to get a new team to cheer for, the Bucs did not get off to a promising start. They went 0-14 in their first season and started their next season 0-12, before winning the last two games of the 1977 season. Losing the first 26 games as a franchise is not exactly the best start.
Team’s most important players:
2023 scouting report: The Falcons drafted running back Bijan Robinson with the No. 8 pick in the 2023 NFL Draft. Another major addition was signing former Cincinnati Bengals safety Jessie Bates III, which should help a secondary that struggled last season. Desmond Ridder, the team’s 2022 third-round draft pick, will be the quarterback of the future, according to owner Arthur Blank.
Interesting fact to know for 2023 season: The Falcons are loaded with blue-chip prospects on offense after drafting a RB (Bijan Robinson), WR (Drake London) and TE (Kyle Pitts) in the top 10 in three straight drafts. The only other team to take an offensive skill player (RB, WR or TE) in the top 10 in three straight drafts was the Lions (2003-05), when they drafted three wideouts: Charles Rogers, Roy Williams and Mike Williams. So Atlanta certainly made some sexy picks and QB1 Desmond Ridder has plenty of toys to play with, but time will tell if all the talent translates to winning.
Best fan moments in team history — 1998 OT playoff victory: In the 1998 NFC Championship, the No. 2 seed Falcons were taking on the No. 1 seed Vikings in Minnesota. It was a back-and-forth game that was tied up by Atlanta with 49 seconds to go in the fourth with a 16-yard touchdown reception from quarterback Chris Chandler to wide receiver Terance Mathis to send the game into overtime. The Falcons made it 30-27 with a 38-yard field goal by Morten Andersen to win in OT.
Worst fan moment in team history — 28-3: The Falcons were very close to defeating the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, but close does not get you a Lombardi Trophy. The Patriots pulled off the greatest Super Bowl comeback of all time and the first overtime championship win. The Falcons held a 28-3 lead until 2:06 left in the third, when the Patriots made it 28-9, still far from a comeback. For the rest of the game, everything went right for New England and everything went wrong for Atlanta. The Falcons did not score again and the Patriots tied things up with a one-yard touchdown run by James White and a two-point conversion from Danny Amendola. In overtime, it was White again who sealed the 34-28 win for New England, giving the franchise its fifth Super Bowl title.
Team’s most important players:
2023 scouting report: There’s a buzz around the Panthers after they traded up to draft QB Bryce Young with the first overall pick in the 2023 NFL Draft and hired Frank Reich as their head coach. The sky’s the limit for Young, who could start his career off with a bang by leading Carolina to a division crown.
Interesting fact to know for 2023 season: Top pick Bryce Young may come into the NFL with concerns about his size (he was the lightest QB drafted in the first round since Jim McMahon in 1982), but expect him to ball out when healthy. He led the FBS in completions (131), touchdown passes (29) and passing yards (2,339) when under pressure in the last two years.
Best fan moment in team history — 14-0 start: The 2015 Panthers set a franchise record with their 14-0 start and only lost one game during the regular season (to the Falcons) to go 15-1. It was the best start by an NFC team since the NFL-AFL merger and was the longest single-season winning streak in the Panthers’ 21 year history. Their success continued in the playoffs, defeating the Seahawks in the divisional round and the Cardinals in the NFC Championship. They lost to the Broncos 24-10 in Super Bowl 50. It marked their second championship appearance.
Worst fan moment in team history — Out of bounds kick: The Panthers were down 21-10 into the fourth quarter of Super Bowl XXXVIII against the Patriots, but were starting a comeback. A touchdown from running back DeShaun Foster and an interception that led to an 85-yard touchdown pass from Jake Delhomme to wide receiver Muhsin Muhammad gave Carolina a 22-21 lead with seven minutes left in the game. The Patriots came back with a touchdown to linebacker Mike Vrabel and a two-point conversion, but the Panthers answered shortly after with a TD of their own to make it 29-all with 1:08 left in the game. Kicker John Kasay sent the kickoff out of bounds, putting the Patriots at the 40-yard line and setting them up for a game-winning field goal. The Panthers were this close to overtime, but a kickoff that still makes fans cringe ended all hopes of extending the game.
Team’s most important players:
2023 scouting report: The Saints signed quarterback Derek Carr to a four-year, $150 million deal this offseason. The Saints used their first two draft picks this season for their defense, taking defensive tackle Bryan Bresse with the No. 29 pick and edge Isaiah Foskey in the second round. They added running back Jamaal Williams, who was the league’s rushing touchdown leader last season.
Interesting fact to know for 2023 season: Will this be the year Derek Carr wins his first career playoff game? He finally is playing with an above-average defense, so anything is possible. The Raiders‘ allowed 26.2 points per game in Carr’s starts, statistically the worst defensive support for any starting QB with at least 100 starts since the 1970 merger. The Raiders ranked 20th or worse in scoring defense in every season with Carr. The Saints have had a top 10 scoring defense in each of the last three seasons.
Best fan moments in team history — Super Bowl win; return to the Superdome: The Saints won their first, and only, Super Bowl in 2010 against the Indianapolis Colts. Led by head coach Sean Payton and quarterback Drew Brees, the Saints defeated head coach Jim Caldwell and quarterback Peyton Manning 31-17. The game ended with a 74-yard interception return by Saints’ Tracy Porter.
After Hurricane Katrina, the Saints were unable to play games at their home stadium, which was being used as a shelter and suffered significant damage during the massive storm. In 2006, the Saints returned to the Superdome, nearly 21 months after playing a home game in New Orleans. That season was monumental for the Saints, reaching the NFC Championship for the first time in franchise history.
Worst fan moment in team history — The Catch III: The Saints led 32-29 over the 49ers with 14 seconds left in the 2011 NFC divisional round playoff game, with San Francisco in the red zone. On third-and-3, quarterback Alex Smith found Vernon Davis, who made an incredible play, and catch, in the end zone despite tight coverage to take the lead and the win. “The Catch III” stands as one of the biggest moments in NFL history, and certainly one of the lower ones for New Orleans fans.
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Author: Shanna McCarriston
August 2, 2023 | 10:10 am
