By: Kenneth Harrison Jr.

TheSouthernSportsEdition.com news services

The first week of the NFL is over and now we have the chance to analyze every team. Obviously, it’s just one game so a lot can change as the season progresses. I’m going to take a look at the NFC South.

The game that kicked the season off was a Super Bowl rematch. Carolina played the Broncos in Denver Thursday night. I figured this would be an easy win for Carolina since Denver lost both quarterbacks that started last season. Trevor Siemian, a 7^th round pick from Northwestern is now the starting quarterback for Denver.

The Panthers did lose Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman so their secondary might not be as good. They did force Siemian to throw two interceptions but he still played well. The defense was very good against the run in 2015 but they struggled Thursday. C.J. Anderson rushed for 92 yards and Denver had 148 yards on the ground.

The Panthers still don’t have an answer for Super Bowl MVP Von Miller and DeMarcus Ware. They harassed Cam Newton and sacked him three times. Newton threw for 194 yards, rushed for 54 yards and accounted for two touchdowns. In the end it wasn’t enough and the Panthers lost 21-20.

New Orleans played Oakland at home in a high scoring shoot out. The Saints were bad on defense last year and it looks like they haven’t improved. Drew Brees passed for 423 yards and 4 touchdowns. Brandon Cooks was on the receiving end of a 98-yard TD pass, which is the longest pass in Saints history.

The defense surrendered 486 yards to the Raiders. They also could not stop a two-point conversion with 47 seconds remaining in the game. Oakland won the game 35-34.

Atlanta played division rival Tampa Bay at home. Atlanta had several penalties and dropped passes that stopped drives. They lost the game 31-24 but the game was not as close as the score indicates. Jameis Winston passed for 281 yards, 4 touchdowns and 1 interception. Mike Evans had 5 receptions for 99 yards and a TD.

Atlanta ranked dead last in sacks last season and they have not improved. They did not record one sack on Sunday. Defensive end Vic Beasley did not record a tackle in the game. The Falcons won just one division game in 2015 so this is a problem.

Matt Ryan passed for 334 yards and 2 touchdowns. One positive takeaway is the offense has new weapons. Mohamed Sanu had 5 catches for 80 yards and a TD. He also dropped a couple of passes. Running back Tevin Coleman rushed for 22 yards and led the team in receiving yards with 95.

Tampa Bay is the only team in the division that won so they are in first place. After a good rookie year it looks like Winston has improved. The Bucs have a good running game led by Doug Martin and Charles Sims. The biggest concern for Tampa Bay was defense and they filled some areas of need in the offseason.

I still think Carolina is the best team in the division but I think Tampa Bay should finish second and make the playoffs.