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Greg Auman
NFC South Reporter
Has the signing of quarterback Kirk Cousins made the Falcons the team to beat in the NFC South?
The Bucs have won the division three years in a row and have brought back their best free agents. Oddsmakers, however, have set Atlanta as a clear-cut favorite to win the division and end a six-year playoff drought. The folks coming up with NFL power rankings are more divided on which team is ahead.
Atlanta had arguably the biggest single splash in free agency last week, landing Cousins from the Vikings on a four-year, $180 million contract that addresses their most glaring weakness. Is that enough to cast the Falcons as favorites? Las Vegas seems to think so.
Online odds have the Falcons as even money or better to win the NFC South. Tampa Bay is in an underdog role at about 3-1. The Saints, who tied for the best record in the division with the Bucs last season, are a close third. Carolina, coming off the worst record in the NFL in 2023, is at best at 10-1 shot to win the division.
Some of this could be the recency of Cousins’ signing and a natural tendency for fans to lean on quarterback play in selecting winners. After signing Derek Carr a year ago, the Saints were the presumptive favorite, while the Bucs faced the longest odds due to uncertainty over Baker Mayfield at quarterback.
Several major sites have updated their NFL power rankings this week after the initial wave of free agency, showing a mixed bag of opinions on which is the team to beat but with Atlanta generally making the biggest leap of any team in any division.
The Athletic posted its new rankings Tuesday, and while the Falcons made a huge leap from 29th to 17th, the Bucs are still ahead at 12th, implying the status quo atop the division. USA Today, meanwhile, jumped the Falcons from 24th to 11th, ahead of the Bucs, who are 14th. The Sporting News moved the Falcons from 24th to 13th, ahead of the Bucs at 17th.
Two years ago,…
Source link : https://www.foxsports.com/stories/nfl/does-kirk-cousins-make-falcons-the-team-to-beat-in-nfc-south
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Publish date : 2024-03-19 15:39:06
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