I actually hate the Carolina Panthers. However, they proved last year that they are no longer an ignorable piece of mediocrity in a struggling division. In 2015 the Panthers dominated both sides of the ball never-before-seen fashion- and they did it without their star wideout.

Kelvin Benjamin is back this year and there’s no reason to expect anything less than greatness from him. He was an absolute monster in 2014 and Cam Newton has improved tremendously since then. With Funchess, Ginn, and Brown all battling for the second starting job, and one of the NFL’s best tight ends, Greg Olsen, the Panthers will have an all-star lineup of receivers this year. Furthermore, the aging Jonathan Stewart showed no signs of slowing down last year as he was one of the league’s most productive backs. The Panthers will have a truly balanced offense.

Add that to one of the best defenses in football and you have a Super Bowl contender. I do, however, expect the Panthers to regress this year- not for a lack of talent, but I see the NFC South as an improving division and the Panthers’ sheer dominance in 2015 as a little bit flukey.

I think I’ve picked the Falcons to win this division (incorrectly) for the last three years in a row. Last year they were the heartbreak story of this division when they absolutely collapsed after going 5-0  and went on to a mediocre 8-8 season.

With that said, the Falcons are every bit the team I have picked the last three years and more. There’s no reason why this team can’t be a playoff contender but for the fact that they just can’t seem to sustain success. They have an all star offense with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Devonta Freeman and the newly added Mohamed Sanu. Their defense has always plagued them but last year showed flashes of brilliance. They’ve made tremendous strides towards bolstering their defense in the hiring of Dan Quinn to the head coaching position and the draft selections and free agent acquisitions made over the last two years.

I want to see this team succeed, but every year they fall apart. Perhaps this will be the year, but Carolina will be tough to beat.

The Saints have been terrible for a long time and theres no reason to expect that to change this year. The main reason for this is that they basically have the world’s worst defense. Adding to that, they traded away the league’s best tight end for a center and haven’t had a respectable offense since. With that said, here are some things the Saints are doing right:

First, they fired Rob Ryan last year which was long overdue. Second, they are developing a core group of receivers to fill a huge void. Brandin Cooks is talented and fan-favorite, Willie Snead, really came to life in the second half of 2015. Finally, adding Colby Fleener is a great move to try and fill the void left by Jimmy Graham and more recently Ben Watson. Fleecer is an experienced athletic tight end who was underutilized with the Colts. In the Saints’ offense, he could double his production from 2015.

All in all, expect something just a shade shy of mediocrity from the Saints. They are a developing offense and a dysfunctional defense coupled with a distinct inability to win on the road. However, they can be, uncharacteristically, one of the toughest teams to beat when playing in New Orleans.

The Bucs are a young, developing team that has the potential to win this division- in two or three years. For now, expect them to remain generally clueless as they were last season. Here’s the good and the bad.

Jameis Winston is a franchise quarterback in the making. I said “in the making.”

He’s far from there. Mike Evans is the best wide receiver in the history of football to have dropped as many passes as he has. However, its kind of hard to complain too much when he goes 10 for 18 with 175 yards and two touchdowns. Vincent Jackson is an ideal veteran to complement him.

Austin Seferian-Jenkins is a guy who shows tremendous potential but can’t seem to stay healthy and is generally struggling in this offense. He’s currently listed as second on the depth chart to…Cameron Brate- the second-year undrafted free agent from Harvard.

Doug Martin was absolutely brilliant last year. However, he’s inconsistent at best and it isn’t unreasonable to expect something closer to mediocrity from him this year. I personally think the Bucs should have let him go and developed his backup and pass-catching specialist, Charles Sims, who does more with 50 touches than a lot of backs do with 150. Instead, they shelled out a ton of money and kept them both. I think it may be a decision they come to regret.

Finally, the Bucs defense is a work-in-progress to say the least. It’s developing, but I don’t think its quite “there” yet.

Expect the Bucs to continue to be dominated by its division rivals but steal a few wins here and there throughout the season.