Saints and Buccaneers new favorites ahead of Falcons

It took just two weeks for preseason favorite Atlanta Falcons to lose their lead in the NFC South, and they haven't even played their second game yet.

The Falcons (0-1) enter tonight's matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles as underdogs according to Monday Night Football odds, which would drop their record to 0-2 entering Week 3.

This came after a much-hyped offseason in which many, myself included, had their eyes on their Super Bowl chances as a walk-on in the NFC South was expected.

Instead, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-0) and New Orleans Saints (2-0) are tied at the top of the division after unexpected wins in Week 2. And our top sports betting sites expect one of those two to end up taking the NFC South crown.

Odds of winning the NFC South

NFC South odds from our best NFL betting sites | 🔥 = best odds | ❄️ = worst odds

Favorites of the NFC South

Odds ahead of the Falcons vs. Eagles prediction on Monday Night Football.

New Orleans Saints (+140)

We broke this down in our NFL trends after Sunday's Week 2 games, but the Saints are off to a historic start. And the market is taking notice.

New Orleans has won two games by 25 points or more and has the best point differential in the league by a wide margin (plus 62). The first offense scored 15 straight points before the end of Sunday's 44-19 win over the Dallas Cowboys, and the defense has already forced five turnovers.

Since the NFL merger, only two teams have scored as many points in two games as the Saints (91) – the 2009 Saints and the 1971 Cowboys – and both have won the Super Bowl. What does that mean for this year's Saints, who are still 35/1 underdog odds at BetMGM to win it all?

New offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak has breathed new life into this offense, even though Derek Carr has led the NFL in passing touchdowns (19) and passer rating (124.3) since Week 14 of last season, so it's not like this development came out of nowhere for New Orleans.

While the odds have increased dramatically, this feels like a proper recalibration rather than an overreaction. I'd still wait to see how the Saints fare against the Eagles next week before going all-in on these +140 odds, which pay $14 profit for every $10 wagered.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers (+170)

Last year, the Buccaneers surprised the league by making the playoffs in Baker Mayfield's first year as quarterback, and they haven't slowed down this season.

Mayfield (185 yards, TD) did not shine in last week's win against the Detroit Lions, but the defense was able to record two crucial turnovers and thus secured the away victory.

During a decisive drive in the third quarter, Mayfield also relied on his legs twice – scoring the eighth rushing TD of his career – to secure the lead for good.

Most importantly, Todd Bowles' team is 2-0 for the fourth straight year, and the Bucs have won the division each of the previous three times. If that happens again, a $10 bet at these +170 odds through FanDuel would return $17.

Atlanta Falcons (+350)

Is it too early to sound the alarm in Atlanta? The Falcons were considered a serious NFC contender thanks largely to their revamped offense under Kirk Cousins, but they scored just 10 points in a troubling Week 1 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers.

Perhaps the most bizarre thing about this loss was the team's devotion to pistol and shotgun plays, which they used on 96% of their offensive snaps. That obviously didn't work in Week 1, but it seems like new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson wants to embrace it going forward.

We'll see how this unit fares against the Eagles tonight, but it looks like our top bookmakers have already taken a stance against this group, favoring the two undefeated teams ahead of them in the table.

Those +350 odds at Caesars would appeal to me after Atlanta was considered the clear favorite just over a week ago, especially if the offense can overcome the initial teething issues of a new system.

However, these odds could get even better if the Falcons lose tonight as expected, so bet accordingly.

Pittsburgh Steelers (+15000)

We are in the 11th day of the NFL regular season and the Panthers' odds to win the NFC South are 150/1.

To put that into context, those DraftKings odds represent a mere 0.66% chance that they win the division, and a $10 bet would net them $1,500 in profit in that case.

Maybe they can still turn things around after it was announced Monday that former No. 1 pick Bryce Young will be on the bench for next week's away game against the Raiders.

This led to some of our best sports betting apps cutting the Panthers' division chances in half when Andy Dalton took over as under center.

While the move won't fix Carolina's talent shortage on offense, defense and special teams, it could give the NFL's worst team a new lease of life. But don't expect it to win a division title anytime soon.

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