Welcome to the eighth and final article where we finish our look through prospective Divisional Squads for each of the eight NFL divisions.

I’ve compiled squads and starters for the seven other NFL divisions outlined below. Click on the division to bring up their squads and data.

• AFC North,
• AFC West,
• AFC East,
• AFC South
• NFC East
• NFC North.
• NFC West

I’ve been wondering what odds bet365 Sport would offer on each of the eight Divisional representative squads. So at the end of this article, I’ll give you my impressions of how the eight squads match up.

And I’ll also tell you which one I think would be the NFL Inter Divisional Squad Champions if such a tournament existed!

BET247

Bet £10 Get £30 in Free Bets

Bet365 Review   ⊕ Min Deposit: £5    ⊕ Expiry: 30 days    ⊕ Min Odds: 1/5 (1.20) 

GO TO BET365

Sign up, deposit between £5* and £10* to your account and bet365 will give you three times that value in Free Bets when you place qualifying bets to the same value and they are settled. Free Bets are paid as Bet Credits. Min odds/bet and payment method exclusions apply. Returns exclude Bet Credits stake. T&Cs, time limits & exclusions apply. The bonus code BET247 can be used during registration, but does not change the offer amount in any way. Registration Required.

TOP30

Bet £10 and Get £30 In Free Bets

William Hill Review » ⊕ Min £10/€10/$10 stake    ⊕ Expiry: 30 days    ⊕ Min Odds: 1.5

GO TO WILLIAM HILL

18+. New customers using Promo code TOP30 only, Min £10/€10/$10 stake, min odds 1.5, free bets paid as 2 x £15/€15/$15, free bets credited after settlement of first qualifying bet, free bets will expire 30 days after the qualifying bet is settled, payment method/player/country restrictions apply.

NEW BONUS

DEPOSIT £10 GET £60 FREE PLAY

GG Poker Review »  ⊕ Min Deposit: £10    ⊕ Limited period    ⊕ $1 for ever $ in Rake

GO TO GG POKER

18+ GGPoker’s game currency is USD ($), other currencies such as GBP (£) are only used for illustrative purposes. Welcome Bonus and Honeymoon promotion for new players only over a limited period. Welcome Bonus only available to new players that make an initial deposit. Minimum deposit is $10/£10. £60 Free Play offer made up of $52.50 in free All-In Or Fold SNG tickets from Welcome Bonus and $2.50 in free tickets from Daily Freebie. Free tickets automatically credited to eligible players’ accounts over a 6 period. A 100% matched deposit bonus worth a maximum of $600 can be claimed by players selecting ‘Match Bonus’ when making their first deposit(s) over a limited period. Bonus cash is released at a rate of $1 for every $5 paid in net rake/tournament fees.

So let’s crack on with the eighth and final squad, for the NFC South.

NFC South

• Atlanta Falcons
• Carolina Panthers
• New Orleans Saints
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers

A Recap of the Rules For NFC South Squad Selection

• All players must be from one of the four teams in the NFC South
• The squad will be comprised of 53 players.
• All squads will feature the same number of players in each position.
• In addition, a starting Offense, Special Teams and Defense will be picked from the squad of 53.
• Finally a head coach from one of the four teams in the division will be selected to coach the team and one stadium from one of the four teams will be selected as a ‘home’ venue.  

As explained above, all squads are comprised of the same number of players in each position to make up the 53-man roster.

Offense (24 players)

• Quarterback – 3
• Running Back – 2
• Full Back – 1
• Wide Receiver – 6
• Tight End – 2
• Left Tackle – 2
• Left Guard – 2
• Center – 2
• Right Guard – 2
• Right Tackle – 2

Defense (25 players)

• Defensive Tackle – 4
• Defensive Ends – 5
• Inside Linebacker – 2
• Outside Linebacker / Edge Rusher – 4
• Strong Safety – 2
• Free Safety – 2
• Cornerbacks – 6

Special Teams (4 players)

• Kicker – 1
• Punter – 1
• Specialist Punt/Kick Off Returner – 1
• Long Snapper – 1

We also additionally name a head coach and venue for this division’s home games.

So without any further ado, let’s take a look at the players that make the initial 53-man squad for the NFC South.

NFC South – Squad Selection

NFC South Squad Gradings

Offense

• Quarterbacks – B-
• Running/Full Backs –  B+
• Wide Receivers – B+
• Tight Ends – B+
• Offensive Line – A-
• Overall Offense – B

Defense

• Defensive Line – B+
• Edge Rushers – A-
• Linebackers – B+
• Safeties – A-
• Corners – B+

Special Teams

• Kicker – B+
• Punter – B+
• Kick Returner – A
• Long Snapper – B

Team Intangibles

• Experience – B
• Pace – B+
• Physicality – B+
• Mental Toughness – B-
• HC Effectiveness – B-

NFC South Starters

NFC South Starting XI Analysis

• Atlanta Falcons – 6 starters
• Carolina Panthers – 6 starters
• New Orleans Saints – 6 starters
• Tampa Bay Buccaneers – 8 starters

Strengths

• Very solid on starting defense without any really glaring weaknesses on their starting 11.
• Half decent running back and receiver corps.
• Offensive line is strong especially at right tackle, left guard and centre.
• Outstanding pash rush.

Weaknesses

• Not the greatest depth or experience at quarterback.
• The squad does lack the depth of quality of other squads from other divisions.
• Coach is probably the weakest of all head coaches.
• Several players are very injury prone
• Lack experience at the highest level in many positions.

Key Player – Offense

Kyle Pitts (Falcons) TE – With a solid receiving corps, Pitts should figure to draw the weaker coverage from linebacker and safety and that could be a real mis-match which the powerful tight end could exploit to his advantage.

Key Player – Defense

Brian Burns (Panthers) OLB/EDGE – Burns is an absolute wrecking ball of an edge rusher and having him working in tandem with Shaq Barrett and Cam Jordan in particular would be an absolute nightmare for offensive linemen to deal with.

Conclusion

Like a couple of other divisional teams, the NFC South’s first choice offense, defense and special teams are very solid and very talented. However, the strength in depth is not there, especially in the quarterback positions. That could be the big issue for this team. How many of their star men get injured.

Overall Team Rating – B+

The starting team for the NFC South is solid and perhaps offers one of the most balanced of any teams in this divisional set up. However, there is a real lack of depth in some positions and that could be a real issue for a team that looks extremely prone to injury.

Drawing Things Together

Outlined below are the eight NFL Divisional Squads & Teams overall ratings:

1. AFC West – A
2. NFC East – A-
3. AFC East – A-
4. NFC West – A-
5. NFC South – B+
6. AFC North – B+
7. NFC North – B
8. AFC South – B-

As you can see, in both the AFC and NFC the West and East hold sway over the North and South with the AFC West being the clear best ranked squad, and the AFC South the worst.

So in my view, bet365 would make the AFC West the favourites to win ahead of the NFC East, while the AFC South would be the outsiders to win any tournament.

Speaking of which, if there was a tournament between the teams: Here’s how I see it going:

Divisional Squad Quarter Finals

• AFC North beats NFC North
• AFC South loses to NFC South
• AFC East loses to NFC East
• AFC West beats NFC West

Semi Finals

• AFC North beats NFC South
• AFC West beats NFC East

Super-Duper Bowl

• AFC West beats AFC North

So that concludes our fun look through the divisional squads, who do you think would win the battle between the eight divisions?

All contents are ©

18+ Worried about your gambling?   
Gamcare - When the fun stops – STOP!