1. New Orleans Saints
Coach: Sean Payton (14th year — 131-77 regular season, 8-7 playoffs. One Super Bowl title)
2019 record: 13-3 (first in NFC South, lost to Minnesota in wild-card round)
Offensive play-caller: Payton (14th year)
Quarterback situation: An all-time great, Drew Brees, 41, is the NFL’s career leader in passing yards (77,416), completions (6,867) and touchdowns (547). But this could be his last season. The Saints have Jameis Winston, 26, on a one-year deal and Brees’ eventual replacement could be Taysom Hill, 30.
Young skill-position players: The Saints have hit home runs in recent drafts with receiver Michael Thomas (27, 2016 second round) and running back Alvin Kamara (25, 2017 third round). They need tight end Adam Trautman (23, 2020 third round) to be a long-term contributor.
Key statistic: Seven. Years in which Brees has led the NFL in passing yards (2006, ’08, ’11-12 and ’14-16).
2. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Coach: Bruce Arians (second year — 7-9 record; seventh year overall — 56-39-1 regular season, 1-2 playoffs)
2019 record: 7-9 (tied for second in NFC South)
Offensive play-caller: Byron Leftwich (second year)
Quarterback situation: The Buccaneers signed Tom Brady, 43, to a two-year contract in March and then opted against drafting their future quarterback a month later. A six-time Super Bowl champion and three-time MVP, Brady is arguably the best player in league history (219-64 in the regular season and 30-11 in the playoffs).
Young skill-position players: Mike Evans, 27, is the lead receiver, but there is young talent to complement him and tight end Rob Gronkowski, 31. Receiver Chris Godwin, 24, led the team with 86 catches last year and running back Ronald Jones, 23, rushed for 724 yards.
Key statistic: 16. Consecutive playoff appearances for Brady (2003-07 and 2009-19) in which he was available to play.
3. Atlanta Falcons
Coach: Dan Quinn (sixth year — 43-37 regular season, 3-2 playoffs)
2019 record: 7-9 (tied for second in NFC South)
Offensive play-caller: Coordinator Dirk Koetter (second year of second tour)
Quarterback situation: Matt Ryan, 35, has missed three out of a possible 192 starts in the regular season, totaling 321 touchdowns and 147 interceptions. Last year, Ryan’s 14 interceptions were his most in five years. He was the NFL MVP in 2016 (117.1 passer rating).
Young skill-position players: Receiver Julio Jones, 31, remains elite, but the Falcons do have some youth. Calvin Ridley (25, 2018 first round) had a team-high seven touchdown catches last year and they signed running back Todd Gurley, 26, after he was released by the Los Angeles Rams. If Gurley holds up physically, he will be an upgrade over Devonta Freeman.
Key statistic: 12,125. Career receiving yards for Jones since he entered the NFL in 2011, most in the league during that span.
Carolina Panthers
Coach: Matt Rhule (first year)
2019 record: 5-11 (fourth in NFC South)
Offensive play-caller: Joe Brady (first year)
Quarterback situation: The Panthers rolled through Cam Newton, Kyle Allen and Will Grier at quarterback last year and only Grier is still on the roster (as a backup). Carolina was aggressive in signing former Minnesota starter/New Orleans backup Teddy Bridgewater, who will be a Week 1 starter for the first time since 2015.
Young skill-position players: Running back Christian McCaffrey, 24, led the Panthers last year in rushing yards (1,387) and receptions (116) and was rewarded with a new contract averaging $16 million per season. Receiver DJ Moore (23, 2018 first round) led the team with 1,175 receiving yards last year. Receiver Curtis Samuel (24, 2017 second round) caught six touchdown passes. Tight end Ian Thomas (24, 2018 fourth round) takes over for Greg Olsen.
Key statistic: 5,443. Yards from scrimmage in McCaffrey’s career (2017-19), most in the NFL during that span.
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