The nfc south : who wants it ?

 Who really wants this dumpster fire ?

You might pick the easy option and say all of them , and yes you are right but I’m gonna break down who wants it most and why in my opinion. Let’s start with the team I think want it the most , and no it isn’t Tampa , New Orleans-

The Saints -

I hear you screaming “but pat they have the worst team in the south” ,correct , but they also aren’t “tanking” as they don’t have a luxury the others do , first round picks. The saints traded their first rounder to the high flying Eagles in the offseason and it seems like a bad , bad move as that pick looks to be heading for a top 10 pick , you might wonder why this means they want it the most? Well simply because they get nothing for being bad unlike the other 3 NFC south teams and in all honesty it would be embarrassing to give up a top 10 pick and have nothing to show for it. I’m gonna be honest I don’t think they will win it as its likely they become the first team eliminated from contention in the south with a loss this weekend.

The Panthers- 

The Carolina Panthers have hit a sort of strange point of the season where somehow this team who only had 1 win under then HC Matt Rhule are now second in the south , yes the division is diabolical but hold on, AND they hold the tie breaker over TB so if the panthers managed to turn up the heat and win this week against the 7-7 Detroit lions they could possibly bring it all down to the showdown on NYD in Tampa meaning whoever would win that would likely win the south. Why the panthers would want the Division? Well I believe one man in the building wants it , interim HC Steve Wilks who has done a really good job with a dire team this season and he's had 3 different starting QB's this season he's turned this team around and one would wonder how the South would look if he was here from the get go, but he would love to make the playoffs and make his claim for HC in Carolina. In analysis here its not too unlikely for Carolina to storm their way to 8-9 and host a playoff game but even if they don't make the post season I do believe it isn't the end of the world as they have some good picks in the upcoming draft thanks to all their pre deadline trades and as well as that they have a possible HC already employed.

The Falcons-

This is where I'll struggle , of course ATL would want playoff football back in Mercedes Arena but I think a higher draft pick and eyes on next season are far better for ATL as they have a good young offensive core , a good young head coach and a passionate defence , there is definitely a bright future brewing here if Arthur Smith gets the time he needs and for that reason i think they should sit this year out. Just a note , the Falcons can be eliminated with a Tampa win or a loss this weekend.  

The Tampa Bay Bucs-

Seemingly the best team in this division on paper , things just haven't played out right for TB this season , that being said they do [somehow] lead the hellfire division at 6-8 but the soonest they can clinch the division is , you guessed it, NYD at home to Carolina. Now TB have had dire offensive play all season but the defence has been good in games where they haven't been overused due to bad offence. It comes across as obvious when you might ask why TB would want to get into the playoffs , well its because of a quarterback with the initials TB12, that's right Tom Brady , when it comes to the post season [or regular season] nobody has seen crazier things than Tom and TB fans are holding out hope that it's a case of "once you're in it's a different ball game" and Tom can mount one of the most unlikely postseason runs ever , quick note as well , in my opinion TB's defence has looked almost 2020 like in this season WHEN they face a long field or don't get burned out. Analysis here , TB really need to win the south and cash in on their last playoff berth for a while as after this season it's cap hell assuming Brady walks.