Opening night of the NFL season is finally here! It only seems like a little while ago that we were all settled in for Super Bowl 50. Flash-forward a few months and we are starting right where the NFL left us in February. Denver and Carolina open the regular season in the first Week 1 Super Bowl rematch since 1970.

I’ve got a few more divisional previews to get through before the season kicks off so I won’t spend too much time talking about tonight’s game. I like Carolina tonight, just think they come in with a chip on their shoulder and the defense feasts on Trevor Siemian in his first NFL start. Take Carolina -3 and the under (41.5 points), and let’s start this season with a win.

Speaking of Carolina, I’m starting today’s round of previews by looking at the NFC South.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers were the unstoppable force of the NFL last season behind MVP Cam Newton and a stellar defense. Unfortunately they ran into the immovable object that was the Denver Broncos in Super Bowl 50. Carolina comes into this season looking for redemption following the loss to the Broncos, but history is not on their side as the Super Bowl loser rarely does well the next season. However, this team is set up to buck that trend. The offense will be improved from last season with the return of Kelvin Benjamin at receiver. Benjamin won’t be the only weapon at Newton’s disposal. Receiver Devin Funchess reportedly had an amazing camp and looks primed for a breakout sophomore season. Tight end Greg Olsen is Mr. Reliable in this offense and should continue to be the safety valve for his quarterback.

Defensively the Panthers did suffer losses in the offseason. Carolina cut first-team All-Pro cornerback Josh Norman in the offseason after a contract dispute, and lost Charles Tillman to retirement. These losses can be absorbed with the ferocious front-seven this defense sports. Led by first-team All-Pro linebacker Luke Kuechly and linebacker Thomas Davis, yards and points are tough to come by against Carolina.

I don’t see Carolina going 15-1 again this year but this is still an elite team in the NFL. The Panthers should win this division outright and will push for home-field advantage once again.

Atlanta Falcons

Last season was the tale of two halves for Atlanta. After a scorching hot start at the beginning of the year, the Falcons crashed back to Earth in the second half of the season. Atlanta made some key additions to this offense in the offseason in an attempt to prevent another second-half collapse. The most important was the addition of former All-Pro center Alex Mack in free agency, which will anchor this offensive line and provide some much needed consistency. That will give running back Devonta Freeman more room to run. Freeman was the surprise breakout star of last season, reeling off monster games for Atlanta prior to the team-wide struggles in the second half. All-Pro receiver Julio Jones is getting some much-needed support on the outside with the addition of Mohamed Sanu. The former Bengal flashed promise in his time in Cincinnati and should be a nice fit in the Atlanta offense. Atlanta’s offensive success rests on the shoulder of quarterback Matt Ryan. He’ll need to cut down on his interceptions, especially in the redzone, to keep this offense moving in the right direction.

Head coach Dan Quinn continues to rebuild this defense in his second season at the helm. Things looked better for Atlanta defensively during its hot start last season, but just like the offense, things sputtered in the second half. There were no splashy free agent moves on this side of the ball, but they did draft safety Keanu Neal to man the back-end of the secondary. He underwent a knee surgery early in camp, but should return early this season. Neal, when healthy, is a fantastic player in the run game and could be just the dynamic force to help turn this defense around. If you remember, Dan Quinn came from Seattle and is working off of the Legion of Boom blueprint as he builds this defense. Neal could be one of the cornerstones of that blueprint.

Atlanta should be a competitive team, but I’m not in love with their playoff chances since the Wild Card teams will likely need to have ten or eleven wins. They’ll be in the playoff hunt though.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

The story for the Bucs this season is all about the offense. Tampa Bay fired coach Lovie Smith in the offseason and promoted offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter to head coach. This means that Tampa is pushing all of its chips behind this offense and quarterback Jameis Winston, which looks like a smart move. Winston threw for over 4,000 yards last season (becoming the youngest QB to ever do so), and showed some serious potential. Receiver Mike Evans had an up-and-down season in 2015, but still managed to break 1,200 yards receiving despite only scoring three touchdowns. The Winston-Evans connection is primed to be one of the best in the league and will open this entire offense up for guys like Doug Martin, Vincent Jackson, and Austin Sefarian-Jenkins to make big contributions.

The Bucs drafted heavily on the defensive side of the ball in May, and will need those rookies to hit the ground running in 2016. This defense ranked tenth in yards allowed, but 26^th in points allowed. Tampa Bay desperately needs this defense to get off the field more often and force more turnovers in the process. Improved play on this side of the ball will be a welcome sight for a team that is looking to make serious strides on offense.

Tampa Bay plays a fourth place schedule in the NFC and is one of the big reasons why I like them to push for a playoff spot. That means having to win twice against Atlanta and New Orleans, which is not a tall order. The Bucs could be the surprise of the conference in 2016.

New Orleans Saints

New year, same story for New Orleans. The ink has barely even dried on Drew Brees’s huge contract extension just before the season kicks off. Brees is still one of the premier quarterbacks in this league in an offense that produces annually. Receiver Brandin Cooks will be the top target in this offense, and the budding star could top 100 catches this season. Willie Snead was a surprise contributor last season and he has carved out a nice role in this passing attack. Running back Mark Ingram was on pace to break 1,000 yards rushing before a shoulder injury cut his season shot. Ingram is fully healthy and will be the bell-cow once again this season, giving this high-powered offense a tough-running option to go to in the redzone.

The Saints will have to put up plenty of points on offense because this defense is awful. New Orleans ranked near the bottom of the league in all key statistics and prevented this team from making a playoff push. They tried to add some young depth to this unit in the draft, but this unit is far from being formidable. Defensive coordinator Dennis Allen will have his hands full in turning this porous unit around in 2016.

I really don’t like the playoff hopes for New Orleans this season. They have the offense to beat 90% of the teams in this league, but this defense can’t protect a lead or even get the ball back to its offense. 8-8 would be a stretch for the Saints this season.

 

Stay tuned to Shooting the Moon for parts seven and eight of my NFL preview later today. Follow me on Twitter @thereal_jmooney and go like the Shooting the Moon page on Facebook.