The 2020 season is off to an interesting start in the NFC South. After two weeks, the New Orleans Saints and Tampa Bay Buccaneers are tied for first at 1-1, while the Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers are winless. Let’s take a look at the NFC South’s grades behind the standings for the first two weeks.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Quarterback: C
Tom Brady shook off some of the inconsistency he showed in week one with a new offense, new team, and no preseason. He started to pick apart the Carolina defense with the passing precision that makes him the GOAT. However, with 3 TD, 3 INTs, and a QB rating lower than 80% through the first two games; (Lowest of his 21-year career), TB12, at 43, has work to do to lead these Buccaneers to the top of the NFC South.
Running Backs: B
Ronald Jones from FSU has been improving in two games, and he showed elusiveness and power running with a nice 7 yd. TD run against Carolina. Leonard Fournette was a factor in week two and is being pushed by TB12 to get better. The former Jaguars Pro-Bowler broke a long TD run and hammered through the tackles to seal the deal in the win vs. the Panthers. Impressive possibilities lay ahead for this tandem.
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends: C
Timing and rhythm with Brady remain an issue that needs to be solved. Although it seems that Evans and Brady are developing chemistry. Godwin is injured, so the WR corps is not at full strength, but Justin Watson is a capable fill-in. OJ Howard had a TD catch in week one vs. Saints, but he and Gronkowski were not productive in the win over the Panthers.
Offensive Line: B-
Tristan Wirfs has been outplaying LT Donovan Smith at the RT position so far. Brady’s quick release and instincts can help deal with some OL pass protection lapses, but the Tampa Bay OL looked strong against Carolina. Not to diminish the performance, but the Panthers’ defense is not going to be confused with the New York Jets Sack Exchange of the ’80s for relentless QB pressure.
Defensive Line: A-
Ndamukong Suh showed why he deserves Hall of Fame consideration, creating havoc along the line of scrimmage. In week two, he occupied the Panthers backfield and netted two sacks on Teddy Bridgewater. This should continue as he leads what could be a top defense in the NFC South.
Edge-Rushers: C+
Jason Pierre-Paul continues to show the motor and the will to get to the QB. To date, JPP has two sacks and one fumble recovery. With a strong start, more is to be expected from this veteran star.
Linebackers: A
The combination of Levante David and Devin White has proven to be essential for the linebacking corps in Tampa Bay. The sideline to sideline speed to run people down and the field vision to pick the ball off are the staples of this tandem. The Buccaneers have terrific assets at this position that are sure to pay off as the season progresses.
Secondary: B-
The rookie Antoine Winfield Jr. has 11 solo tackles and one INT through two weeks. Winfield Jr has a good pedigree and discipline in Todd Bowles’ run and pass defense scheme.
Carolina Panthers
Quarterback: C
Teddy Bridgewater is mostly accurate, but with 1 TD and 2 INTs, it has been a rocky start. Bridgewater has not utilized Robby Anderson and DJ Moore to their fullest potential yet, and it has left a lot of yards on the field. Luckily, he has RB Christian McCaffrey, who is such a stud that he is the thunder of that offense.
Running Backs: A-
Christian McCaffery runs and catches with an economy of motion, speed, and agility. He was injured the last drive while the Panthers were trying to mount a comeback from 24-17. That loss was pretty much “ballgame” for Carolina. CMC is dominant and needs to be healthy for the Panthers to be competitive.
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends: B-
Robby Anderson can get open and make plays with his speed. 233 yds in two weeks with a 75 yd TD shows us the proof of production. The more Bridgewater and Anderson work together, the more we will see better production. With concrete production from possession receiver DJ Moore, the Panthers will move the football and score.
Offensive Line: C-
Hard to get a strong reading on this group yet. McCaffery has less than 4 YPC so far this year, and the blame for that can be placed on the OL. Tyler Moton at RT remains the most consistent and durable performer out of this unproven group.
Defensive Line: C-
Derick Brown is the future of the Panther DL. Carolina made all seven draft picks on defense in the NFL 2020 draft, and Brown is at the head of that class. He had a costly personal foul that sustained a Buccaneers drive that gave them a fresh set of downs. Despite this mistake, his play has still been solid.
Edge-Rushers: F
The stat line for this group is 0 sacks and only a few tackles for a loss. There is talent here, but they need to apply pressure to be more competitive. Matt Ruhle often gets the absolute best from his players, but this group hasn’t caught up yet.
Linebackers: C-
Tahir Whitehead is a playmaker. He’s making tackles and getting involved heavily in the second level of this defense. It’s early, but Whitehead looks like a Pro-Bowler,
Secondary C-
Rasul Douglas leads the team in passes defended and also added value by being a proficient tackler. Donte Jackson had a 44 yd INT returned for a TD already this year. This unit has good players and will help Carolina grow as a force in the NFC South.
Saints:
Quarterback: B
Future Hall of Famer Drew Brees continues to work his magic, despite his age. Brees has thrown for over 400 yds and 3 TDs in the first two weeks. His only drawback is that he has thrown an INT in the first game against the Buccaneers. Even with this blemish, Drew looks as dominant as ever and will continue to lead the NFC South.
Running Backs: C
This was not the start we expected from this backfield. After receiving his contract extension, Kamara underproduced in both his first and second games. Although he has 3 TDs, we expected more out of Kamara. Latavius Murray was forced to bear the load in week one and took a reduced role in week two. Overall, it has been a slow start.
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends: D
In two straight weeks, New Orleans has only had a total of two true receivers/tight ends post over 50 yds. In fact, in week two, Alvin Kamara had to lead the team in receiving. This group is not playing up to their potential and will need to pick up the pace if they want to compete in the NFC South.
Offensive Line: A
This group is highly underrated in the NFL. They started strong with a fantastic performance against Tampa Bay and only slightly relented against Las Vegas. The New Orleans’ offensive line has allowed only 1 sack and 11 TFLs, and are the real key to success for the Saints. If they continue to keep Brees upright and create running lanes for Kamara, you can expect records to be broken.
Defensive Line: B-
The defensive line for the Saints is another group that has not lived up to its true potential. Albeit, the lows have not been too low to date. Raiders’ RB Josh Jacobs was able to have a decent day against this defensive line, but it took him 27 attempts to do so. Hopefully, New Orleans will be able to tighten back down and continue to put forward solid performances.
Edge-Rushers: B
With a combined 5 sacks and 10 TFLs, this edge-rushing group is off to a good start. Tampa Tom had a rough day in week one running from this group, but Carr had a little easier time. After two weeks, I wouldn’t be concerned for this group, but I expect a return to their week one performance.
Linebackers: B
Stat lines don’t always show how well a player, or group of players, has played. This is the case for the Saints’ linebackers. Their coverage was key to confusing Tom Brady and helped lead to his 3 total turnovers. Run support has also been a vital attribute as they back up their defensive line.
Secondary: C
The Saints’ secondary has proven to be a rollercoaster in these first two weeks. After making Tampa Tom look like a rookie, they give up a Pro Bowl performance to Derek Carr. The New Orleans secondary went from looking like they had it all figured out, to looking clueless. Hit or miss is the only description for this crew at this point. Moving forward, they will need to become more stalwart if they hope to help their team win.
Falcons
Quarterback: A
Matt Ryan is still a solid QB. Matty Ice has thrown for 6 TDs, over 700 yds, and only 1 INT. Stat lines are indicative of Ryan’s play so far. He has made all the right reads and made all the right passes, except for the 1 INT. If Matt Ryan continues to play this way, the Falcons will be in good hands.
Running Backs: F
Veteran Todd Gurley II leads the Falcons backfield, and it has not been impressive. Gurley has barely topped 50 and 60 yds in the first two games, respectively. Back-up RBs have been mostly nameless and equally as unproductive.
Wide Receivers & Tight Ends: B
The Falcons WRs went from having four players snagging 100+ yds in their week one match up to only one player having 100+ yds in week two. Calvin Ridley has jumped out and led the way in both yds and TDs. Julio Jones has had an average performance over two games. Russell Gage has also contributed an average performance. Although we have seen some great production out of Ridley, the Falcons WRs and TEs will need to step their game up to put a win on the board.
Offensive Line: D
Despite Matt Ryan having serious stats in the passing game, his offensive line has allowed 3 sacks and 22 QB hits. The line cannot continue to allow their QB to continue to get punished. The running game has been mediocre at best, and that due in large part to the lack of running lanes. There is obvious room for improvement here.
Defensive Line: D
Atlanta’s defensive line was so efficient in week one against the Seahawks that Russell Wilson led the team in rushing. The following week, they allowed a good performance by Ezekiel Elliot and 3 rushing TD night by Dak Prescott. The “hot start, cold finish” play of this line was also evident in the Cowboys game as the Falcons collapsed late.
Edge-Rushers: D
The same could be said for the Falcons’ pass rushers that could be said for their defensive line. They start hot but then cool quickly late in the game. They provide plenty of pressure and QB hits but seem not to be able to seal the deal. This could keep them from being a contender in the NFC South.
Linebackers: D
It’s hard to overlook the late-game collapse when evaluating any part of this defense. The linebackers for Atlanta played mediocre games and provided little to no support in both the passing and run games. This pared with a week two collapse leaves a bad taste in the mouth of fans and causes concerns for the rest of the season.
Secondary: F
The Falcons’ secondary allowed back-to-back 300+ yds passing to opposing QBs through the first two weeks. They have also surrendered 85 or higher QBRs at the hands of Russell Wilson and Dak Prescott. When the game was on the line, Atlanta’s secondary fell apart.
