Bleacher Report's Moe Moton released his divisional rankings. This list is determined by how competitive each division is supposed to be in 2025. The NFC South was near the bottom, placing seventh, only beating the AFC South.
The NFC South just edged out the AFC South because they could potentially have two playoff teams, Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Atlanta Falcons. However, Moton doesn’t believe the potential playoff teams will finish much higher than .500.
Moton believes that the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints won’t compete and will hold high positions in the 2025 NFL Draft. The division might be weak, but it's Moton's belief the Saints will finish last in the division.
Saints offense isn't inspiring confidence
Moton doesn’t believe that the Saints offense will have much life in 2025. He brings up the retirement of Derek Carr as a major loss. He doesn’t believe any of the young quarterbacks can fill the shoes of the veteran.
The Saints hired former Eagles offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore to be their head coach. Moore thrived while with Philadelphia in 2024 with a stacked roster. The Saints won’t have that luxury. It’s on Moore to see if he can compete with their weapons. As Moton noted, a lot will depend on the quarterback, whether that’s Tyler Shough or Spencer Rattler.
“Without Derek Carr, the New Orleans Saints are set up to finish last in the division and at the bottom of the overall standings this year. Second-round rookie Tyler Shough, Spencer Rattler and Jake Haener have a tough task in stabilizing an offense that finished 24th in scoring last year.” Moton said, “First-time head coach Kellen Moore will also find it difficult to establish a foundation on that side of the ball without a respectable passing attack.”
The NFC South isn’t set to have a spectacular year in 2025. There are many questions surrounding every team, especially the Saints. Only time will tell how the division, and the Saints, perform next year.