Every player in the NFL has their eyes set on a Super Bowl, especially a guy who has won a Heisman Trophy and played for a National Championship. But the first step to getting there is to win your division. The NFC South is wide open and [autotag]Bryce Young[/autotag] and his Carolina Panthers will be on the prowl to win the division and qualify for the 2023 NFL Playoffs.
From day one, the former Alabama quarterback has a chance to be the best starting quarterback in the division. The Buccaneers are replacing legend and seven-time Super Bowl Champion, Tom Brady, with a struggling Baker Mayfield, who was actually with the Panthers for most of 2022. The Saints brought in Derek Carr this offseason who is a quality quarterback, but they have struggled to ever fill the void of Brew Brees’s retirement after the 2020 season. Similar to the Saints, the Falcons struggled at the quarterback position last season after trading away long-time starter and Atlanta legend, Matt Ryan.
The Panthers probably have the best head coach in the division heading into the season as well, Frank Reich. It is Reich’s first year with the franchise, but it is a massive upgrade from Matt Rhule a year ago. Reich was the head coach of the Colts for five years and he led them to a 40-33-1 record and two playoff appearances. However, Reich is much better than those numbers indicate. When Reich took over Indianapolis in 2018, outside of Andrew Luck, the roster was a mess, yet he still led them to a 10-6 record and an AFC Divisional Game appearance.
After the 2018 season, Luck shockingly retired in his prime and sent the Colts franchise into a tailspin. Over the next four seasons he had four different starting quarterbacks and just wasn’t given a fair shake, but he still managed to have a winning record every year but one. After a 3-5-1 start to the season in 2022, the Colts fired Reich in a move that many people did not agree with. Reich is an outstanding coach, especially offensively, and with stability at the quarterback position he can be one of the best coaches in the league, certainly his division.
Falcons head coach, Arthur Smith, has finished 3rd and 4th in the NFC South during his two years in Atlanta with a 14-20 record. Dennis Allen of the Saints was first a head coach for the Raiders from 2012-2014 where he went 8-28. In his first year with New Orleans, he led them to a 7-10 record. Todd Bowles took over the reins in Tampa Bay last season after Super Bowl-winning head coach, Bruce Arians retired following the 2021 season. Bowles’s first stint was with the Jets where he went 24-40 from 2015-2018. In his first year with the Bucs, Bowles went 8-9. So, Reich certainly has a chance to take firm control over the division and win it for years to come.
Cameron Wolfe of Good Morning Football predicts also that the Panthers could be a playoff contender in 2023 saying, “When I talk to people in Carolina they say he (Young) does not act like a rookie. They said they are teaching him things that they teach quarterbacks in year two, year three… But, Thomas Brown, their offensive coordinator said ‘when you say ‘hike’ that dude is special. His ability to feel pressure within the pocket, his accuracy, the way he’s already taking hold of the locker room.'”
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