The New Orleans Saints are the easy favorite to win the NFC South in 2019, per odds shared by SportsBook Advisor. New Orleans won their division in each of the last two consecutive seasons, setting up a serious show of dominance over their rivals.
The Saints are the favorite at -250, with a sizable gap between them and the destitute Atlanta Falcons at +350. Atlanta’s fortunes have been on the downswing ever since they choked away a 28-3 lead to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, bottoming out with a 7-9 record and missing the 2018 postseason. They’ve brought back a retread offensive coordinator and largely stood pat during free agency, trying to make salary cap room for star players.
As wide as the gap is between New Orleans and Atlanta, there’s an even larger gulf between the Falcons and the third-place Carolina Panthers at +700. Carolina also finished with a 7-9 record last year, and kicked off their offseason with franchise quarterback Cam Newton undergoing shoulder surgery and a mass exodus of respected veterans from their locker room. Familiar faces like linebacker Thomas Davis, center Ryan Kalil, and pass rusher Julius Peppers have all moved on.
And in last place are the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, with long odds of +1400 towards winning the division crown. New head coach Bruce Arians briefly stepped away from football due to health issues, and he returns to set the course for a team quarterbacked by chronic troublemaker Jameis Winston. Good luck with that.
So at least in march, it looks like the Saints have an easier path to owning another NFC South title than in years past. But there’s a long ways to go before that hypothesis is proven.
