I asked the 11+ users (including myself) vying for one of the final two spots in PML if they would rather have the Bucs or Falcons. 9 people responded and only 2 of them said they prefered the Bucs (both are saints fans whodat). 5 want the Falcons and 2 don't care. All but 2 of the responders said they would be happy with either team if it means they get a spot in the league. Since there is such a heavy preference for the Falcons, I decided to make a case on why the Bucs are a better franchise team.

Receivers and Tight Ends

While the Falcons have the best player of these two teams in the passing game, the Bucs have more depth. Mike Evans' size and x-factor ability make nearly as lethal as Julio Jones. He is also 4 years younger. Chris Godwin is a good 2nd receiver and has many years to develop (only 23). Breshad Perriman is a good slot option standing 6'2" with 95 speed. Rookie Scott Miller is decent deep threat at 94 speed.

The teams' top tight ends are about even, but Tampa Bay's second string is much better. Cameron Brate is good enough to start on a handful of teams. Whoever gets the Falcons won't want to use many 2 tight end sets.

Offensive Line

The Buccaneers have two excellent linemen in Demar Dotson (86) and Ali Marpet (88). Ryan Jensen (77) is a solid starter. They don't have much youth, but the core is pretty good. Whoever gets this team will probably want to draft at least one big ugly in year 1.

Atlanta only has one stud in Alex Mack (89), but he is already 33 years old. Jake Matthews (80) is good and Chris Lindstrom (70) will develop well, but the Bucs have the slight edge here.

Linebackers

Big advantage at LOLB. Shaq Barrett and Carl Nassib are both better than Duke Riley who starts for the Falcons. The Bucs also have Anthony Nelson who is only 22 and can develop into a serviceable starter.

Tampa Bay is slightly ahead at inside linebacker. Lavonte David and Deion Jones  are equal, but the Bucs have a lot more depth. Devin White is very young and very fast. He will be a top linebacker in the league after a few seasons. They also have Kendell Beckwith who is decent and only 24. He will have to play some in the Bucs' 3-4 scheme.

Cornerbacks

The Falcons have the best one in Desmond Trufant, but other than him they are pretty weak at this position. The top 3 corners in Tampa are all over 70 overall and younger than 25. Pick a scheme that needs man to man corners and these guys will develop well. Sean Murphy-Bunting will porbably turn out the best. The 22 year old rookie has a hidden dev trait, stands 6' tall, and has 92 speed.

The Bucs would be a great team to have in PML. The might not be able to compete with the Saints in year one, but they will develop nicely and be a consistent threat to win the division when Drew Brees retires. The team probably needs to draft or sign a quarterback to replace Jameis Crablegs Winston. They should also pick up another running back to pair with Peyton Barber since they don't have a lot of depth at this position. 

QB Jared Goff

39 interceptions through 10 games is awful. 50% completion rate is the lowest of all QB's with at least 110 attempts. At 3-7, the Rams are likely out of the playoff race. Mr. Goff needs to lay off the weed a little if he wants to bring the team back to a .500 record.

Honorable Mention: Derrick Carr with 27 picks and a 52% completion percentage. 

HB David Johnson

He was a stud last year, but has been awful this year. On the season he has only 374 yards (2.9 per carry) and 4 touchdowns. His poor play is a big reason why the Cards only have 3 wins.

Honorable Mention: Melvin Gordon with as many fumbles as touchdowns. Only 457 yards. 

WR Alen Robinson II

Robinson has the talent to make the pro bowl. He has under 300 yards after 10 games this year to go along with only one score. He's getting a catch on only 5% of the downs he plays. Part of the problem is the Bears don't have an adequate QB.

Honorable Mention: Emmanuel Sanders with a catch on 3.7% of downs played and only 332 yards.

TE Austin Hooper

Matt Ryan is near the top of the league in yards, but he rarley looks Hooper's way. Despite being on the field for 526 plays, he only has 10 catches. Matt Ryan in more than twice as likely to throw to the other team than throw to Austin Hooper.

Honorable Mention: Maxx Williams with 0 touchdowns and 22 catches on 534 downs played.

OL Mekhi Becton

The U of L rookie is having a horrible year.He's allowed 12 sacks in 10 games played. The Jets need to cut him before Sam Darnold gets hurt. 

Honorable Mention: Alejandro Villanueva with 11 sacks given up. 

DL David Onyemata

The Raiders have one of the least disruptive defenses in the league, and Onyemata hasn't done much. Only 2 sacks and 17 total tackles, he has to do a better job of clogging the middle.

Honorable Mention: Corey Liuget has only3 sacks and 20 tackles

LB Denzel Peeryman

MLB for the Chargers has 0 sacks and only 1 interception. He's no help against the run either with only 25 solo tackles. Chargers defense is soft up the middle, and the have only 1 win on the year because of it.

Honorable Mention: Ryan Shazier with 1 pick, 0 sacks, and 10 catches allowed.
DB Levonta Taylor

The second year player for the Steelers has 0 interceptions and tackles for loss despite a substantial ammount of playing time. He's had some difficult matchups already facing the Ravens, Texans, and Giants.

Honorable Mention: Jutsin Simmons with 0 interceptions and 539 downs played.
K Randy Bullock

8-16 on field goals is embarrasing. The Lions should sign Austin MacGinnis so they can have a competant kicker on the roster. 

Honorable Mention: Eddy Pinerio with only 4 makes.

P Britton Colquitt

The Browns punter has 9 touchbacks and only 3 downed inside the 20. The team should consider someone who can better control their leg, like Tim Masthay.

Honorable Mention: Jordan Berry with 44.6 yards per punt. 

Returner Damarea Crockett

The Steelers should tell him to take a knee everytime he catches it end the endzone because he is only averaging 23.7 yards per return. The Missouri HB is not quick enough to be returning kicks.

Honorable Mention: DaMarkus Lodge at 23.7 yards per return. 

Using playoffpredictors.com I predicted the outcome of every game for the rest of the season. 

AFC

Byes go to the Ravens and Bills. They are clearly the top 2 in the conference and should be able to coast to the playoffs. Ravens schedule is pretty tough, so they could lose more than one game to close out the regular season. The Bills only have one tough game left, so they can start resting starters if they want.

Other division winners are the Cheifs and Texans. I see the Broncos continuing to collapse and not even challenge Kansas City for the West. The Texans and Colts are pretty close, but I have the Texans ahead by 1 game.

Wildcard spots are earned by the Colts and Browns. I see 3 teams tied for the second wildcard spot at 10-6, but the Browns win by tiebreaker. The can easily make the postseason if Baker can heat up and play like he did through the first few games. Sorry Bengals and Jags, you just missed the cut.

NFC

Byes go to the Giants and Seahawks. Seattle is pretty much a lock for home field advantage with their soft schedule. The Giants have a pretty tough schedule, so don't be surprised if the Bucs end up passing them in the standings. Outside of these 3 teams, there is no real contender.

The Bucs will run away with their division, and the other automatic bid goes to the Vikings. They may not crack 10 wins, but they have the easiest division in the league now that Aaron Rodgers was traded away. It would be a big disappointment if either of these teams choked away their division.

Cowboys and Eagles will make the playoffs with a 9-7 record. 4 teams are nipping at their heels at 8-8. The Saints, Panthers, Falcons, and Rams could all make the playoffs, but they have some work to do. Saints are playing without Kamara, the Falcons don;t have much of a run game, The panthers only have 1 good player on defense, and the Rams have more turnovers than a bakery.  

Bucs 7-1 projected 14-2

The Bucs are doing as well as expected. They have two tests left on the schedule: Chiefs and Vikings. The team could win out, but will likely drop one of these games. A big reason for their success this year is Benny Snell. The rookie is on pace for almost 2,000 yards and 22 touchdowns. Their soft schedule pretty much guarantees they have a bye in the playoffs.

Saints 5-4 projected 8-8

Week 9 was an absolute killer to New Orlean's playoff chances. They fall below the Vikings in the standings, and Alvin Kamara ruptured a disk. He'll be out for the season. Aaron Rogers played very poorly in his first game for the Saints. He'll need to take over and play at an MVP level to drag this team into the postseason. An upset over the Giants, Chiefs, or Bucs would help a lot. 

Panthers 4-4 projected 8-8

Cam Newton is playing better and led the team in an upset win over the Packers. The team's offense is still subpar in part to the underwhelming running back committee. The top two back each have over 55 carries and combine for under 4 yards per carry.  Another back (and Cam) has over 30 carries but only 4 yards per attempt. 

Falcons 4-5 projected 6-12

Matt Ryan is starting to heat up. He only has 1 pick in his last two games. The team can finish around .500 if Matty Ice continues to protect the ball. Atlanta has surprising wins against Kansas City and at Denver already. They have potential knock off any team, but they will still likely finish last in the division. 

Chiefs @ Ravens (-3.5)

A highly anticipated rematch might not be as close as we expected at the beginning of the year. The Chiefs have struggled a bit this year without Kareem Hunt. 

Steelers @ Jags (-1.5)

Two good teams that have played a tough schedule so far. The Jags are slight favorites playing in Jaxonville. Expect them to continue their 4 game win streak. 

Panthers @ Packers (-7.5)

The Packers are the better team and will be playing at home. It will be close if Cam can limit the turnovers.

Bills @ Titans (+6.5)

The Titans were good enough to make the playoffs last year, but have been pretty bad this season. Sitting at 1-5, they need to hand the Bills their first loss of the year to keep their playoff hopes realistic. 

Giants @ Eagles (+2.5)

Two teams that will likely make the playoffs. Give me the Giants in this shootout. 

Seahawks @ Jets (+17.5)

This match is destined to be a blowout. The Seahawks have been spectacular this season and are running the ball better than ever. This is not the week for the Jets to pick up their first W.

Falcons @ Saints (-3)

These teams split their matchups last year. The Saints passing attack has improved, and they're playing at home. The Falcons could win if they play as well as they did against the Chiefs.

Broncos @ Raiders (+13.5)

A very good team playing a very bad team. The Raiders will be hoping to keep this game close on their home field.

Colts @ Bengals (-.5)

These are two pretty even teams that will likely make the postseason. Give Cincinnati the slight edge while they're at home. 

Cards @ 49ers (+.5)

A pair of bottom dwellers in this game. The Cards have had some solid wins in the past couple years, so they have the slight edge in this matchup. 

Bears @ Texans (-16.5)

A 1-4 team on the road against a 4-1 team. The Bears don't have enough offense to keep this game close.

Cowboys @ Bucs (-3.5)

The Cowboys are only 2-4, but they are still a solid team having outscored their opponents by 11 points this season. This will be a close game, but the Bucs should win with their elite defense.

Vikings @ Lions (+7.5)

Not many teams have been able to slow down the Vikings offense. They might drop 40 this game with new receiver Michael Thomas.

Chargers @ Patriots (-3.5)

The Patriots are looking quite a bit better this year, and the Chargers still haven't won a game. This could be a close one, but the Patriots are comfortable favorites. 

Bucs  Tampa has started 4-0, as expected. They still haven't played a team that finished with a winning record last year, so it's hard to see if they have improved from last year. Benny Snell is having an excellent rookie campaign averaging 100 yards and a TD per game. I still predict they finish 14-2 with losses to Green Bay and KC. This is the Bucs division to lose. 

Panthers Cam is showing the last two years were no fluke, he's turned into Jamarcus Russell. Despite his inability to protect the ball, Carolina is 3-1. Their schedule has been soft so far, so I'm sticking by my 7-9 prediction. I see another losing season for the Panthers, but they could push for a second place finish in the division.

Falcons A 1-3 isn't bad considering how difficult their schedule has been so far. A dominant win against the San Diego  LA Chargers suggests they might be turning things around. Matt Ryan had 0 picks that game. I expect a 6 win season from Atlanta this year, much better than last year. They are still the bottom of the division. 

Saints An Alvin Kamara injury has really hurt the team's playoff chances. 1-3 isn't good, but every game has been close in the 4th. The team can easily go 4-0 over the next stretch of games if Trace McSorley stays hot. He's getting almost 220 yards per game off a 72% completion percentage. I'm downgrading their projected finish to 8-8.

Denver The Broncos have started this season 4-0. After winning only 4 games last year, this is a hot start no one saw coming. The offense has improved a lot after adding a ton of speed this year. Jordan Scarlett is playing very well so far averaging 7 yards a carry. 

Dak  Prescott has thrown a league-high 15 interceptions this year. Dallas usually prides itself on playing smart football and winning the turnover margin. The offense seems to be relying too heavily on the passing game so far. Sitting 1-3, changes need to be made.

Bears  Trubisky is still awful. He boasts a 1:15 TD:Turnover ratio and under 50% completion. Despite the offensive woes, they won a game! 

David Sills V has 7 scores on only 18 catches. The big body receiver is making the game look easy for Baker Mayfield and the rest of the Browns offense. They have a real shot at outplaying the Ravens and winning the division this year. 

Connor Martin is 2-6 on PAT's. The Eagles should consider cutting the rookie kicker. 

Kick Returns aren't hard to come by this year. There've already been 5 taken to the house. Add one more touchdown off a punt return. 

New England is off to a hot start. The defense is getting a lot more pressure this year by averaging 5 sacks a game. If they can keep up the defensive intensity, they may be able to finish around .500 this year.

Year 3 of PML is here. Time to preview each team in the NFC South.

General

Each team plays each other twice, and the Packers, Chiefs, Vikings, Lions, Chargers, Bears, Raiders and Broncos. Each team has two unique opponents. The Saints have the most difficult schedule having to play the Giants and Rams, while the Panthers have the easiest schedule getting to play the Cardinals and Eagles. The Bucs have to the 49ers and Cowboys. Atlanta plays the Seahawks and Redskins.

Falcons

Panthers 

Saints

Bucs

I interviewed 5 anonymous owners about the upcoming season. I wanted to know who the top dogs were and what teams will be fighting for the #1 pick. I was curious who had a good offseason. Who's winning rookie of the year? I also asked for everyone's Superbowl picks. 

AFC North

The Ravens will finish on top while the Steelers are last. This owner's reasoning is because the Steelers owner is new and unproven, while the Ravens have shown to a very good team. Regarding the offseason, he/she said the Bengals "have [the] best defensive line, if not overall defense in PML." He/she predicts Kyler Murray wins rookie of the year, and the Chiefs will play the Bucs for the championship.

AFC South

No, projected standings from this owner (he's likely scared to admit he won't be at the top). He claims the Colts had the best offseason. They drafted better than the other 3 teams in the division. Colin Johnson and Devin White will be the rookies of the year. Chiefs and Cowboys will play in the Bowl because "Chiefs retooled and I think he will have a scheme for ravens come playoff time and Cowboys has been right their last two seasons think he will edge out Seahawks ."

AFC West

Chiefs remain on top, and Broncos sit at the bottom. On why he made these picks, "The Chiefs were largely untested last season and not much change is expected. The Broncos lost their management halfway through the season and with a solid year for Oakland and the Chargers having a second year straight to build the system, the Broncos are just behind the curve." This owner thinks the Raiders had the best offseason because they traded for Odell. Rookie of the year will be Kyler Murray. He acknowledged the unpredictability of the Super Bowl and predicted the Chiefs will take on the Cowboys.

AFC East

I interviewed two owners from this division. Both agreed the Bills will finish first and the Jets will be last. They disagree on who had the best offseason. The first owner simply said Dolphins, while the other chose Patriots for their good draft. He said: "I think are serious contenders this year." Lol like the Patriots will have a good enough offense to make the playoffs. They both chose Tua as rookie of the year. The first owner picked Devin White as defensive rookie of the year. Super Bowl predictions are Chiefs vs. Seahawks and Chiefs vs. Bucs.

Overall Tallies

Super Bowl: Chiefs 5 votes, Cowboys 2 votes, Bucs 2 votes, Seahawks 1 vote.

ROTY: Kyler Murray 2 votes, Devin White 2 votes, Collin Johnson 1 vote, Tua 2 votes.

The Saints finished 8-8 last season, a one-game improvement over the year prior. The team looks to keep improving and finish with a winning record this season. Trace McSorley will need to take a big step forward for it to happen. 

Captains

With Drew Brees gone, the team needs to select a new offensive captain. Alvin Kamara, Cam Jordan, and Marshon Lattimore will remain captains this season while Michael Thomas becomes the 4th. These are the 4 clear leaders of the team.

Offense

Expectations are pretty low after back to back seasons near the bottom of the league in scoring. The team needs Alvin Kamara to stay healthy since he carries the bulk of the offense. Trace McSorley needs to raise his TD:Int ratio to at least 1:2 to have a decent showing. Turnovers have destroyed the team over the last two years. Michael Thomas, Cameron Meredith, and Tyre Brady form a formidable trio of receivers. They need to be more productive in the redzone for the team to make the playoffs this year. 

Defense

Trey Hendrickson and Marcus Davenport will be starting at DE this season. They are a pair of young, athletic pass rushers that should maintain the production had last year. Cam Jordan will be manning DT this year unless one of the outside guys gets hurt. This should improve the run defense that was awful last year.

Predictions

Marcus Davenport will get 10 sacks. The team leader last year was 8, but Davenport only had limited playing time.

Alvin Kamara will run for 8 touchdowns. Last year he had trouble staying healthy and only had 5 running scores.

Record: 9-7. The team has a very tough schedule at home, having to play the Packers, Chiefs, Giants, and Bucs. 1 win from these 4 games should be enough to get New Orleans to a winning record. 

New Orleans had a pretty quiet offseason adding mostly depth. The team missed out on their top target in free agency (Sean Lee) and in the draft (Devin White). The team signed about 15 undrafted free agents to compete for a roster spot this season. Most of them will be cut.

WR

Three wideouts were signed to compete with Tre'quan Smith to be the 5th receiver this year. Rookie Talon Shumway is the favorite to make it to week 1 with his combination of size and speed. Dorian Baker is second most likely to make the team because he is from Kentucky. He could be the 6th UK grad to play for the Saints this year.

TE

Two rookies are brought it to challenge two returning tight ends for playing time this season. Expect Alize Mack and Demetrius Harris to make the roster because of their speed. A good game or two from Jordan Legget or Mitchell Brinkman could force the Saints to cut the veteran Harris.

OT

6 guys are competing for 3 spots. Starters Terron Armstead and Ryan Ramczyk have been guaranteed their roster spots already. Rookies Coy Cronk and Jack Driscoll will battle second-year players Kendall Baker and Justin Skule to be the backup tackle.

DT

3 rookies playing for one spot. Ross Blacklock looks to be the most talented, but Trysten Hill will count against the cap if he is cut. Chigozie Nnoruka is the least likely to make the team.An extra DT spot could open up if Cam Jordan slides back out to DE.

LB

The team has 4 rookie linebackers, and all will probably be cut. All will be competing with Nathan Gerry for a backup MLB spot. Asmar Bilal is most likely to survive the cuts thanks to his excellent athleticism.

CB

 Youth vs experience. Quickness vs size. 3 young, fast corners were brought in to challenge Dontae Johnson and Dexter McDonald. It's currently a tossup to see who will be playing in dime packages this year. 

Saints season in one word: disappointing. An 8-8 record was an improvement over last year and good enough for 2nd in the division, but it's still a couple games short of front office expectations. 

What Went Wrong

Too many turnovers. 2 close games were lost this season of pick sixes. Get one of those back and it's a 9-7 season.

Losing at home to the Panthers and Bucs. The Saints should dominate in the dome. Win one of these games and the record is 10-6.

No passing attack. 32nd in the league in passing yards. Drew Brees and Trace McSorley really struggled to throw the ball more than10 yards downfield.

What Went Right

Running the ball. Despite Alvin Kamara missing a lot of time due to injury New Orleans has 8th in rushing yards. 

The Defense. Top 5 in yardage and points allowed is pretty good. This is partly because the offense threw so many pick sixes.

Discipline. 2nd in the league in penalty yards. A huge chunk of this season's 128 free yards came in one week.

Josh Allen. Defensive rookie of the year for his ability to rush the passer and drop back into coverage. 

Outlook

Drew Brees and some depth players will become free agents (or retire) this year. The team will look to add a starting center and some depth before next season. Hopefully, the record improves next season as well.

With many teams already out of the playoffs, many GM's will be hoping their teams lose in week 17 to get a better position in the draft. Here are some games were the outcome has no effect on the playoffs:

Pats (2-13) @ Dolphins (2-13)

The loser of this game will get a better pick. Both teams will be in the top 10 on draft night. Miami is pretty young, but could use a QB to replace Ryan Tannehill. They could also use a linebacker help out of the worst defenses in the league. The Patriots needs to draft the best offensive player available so they can score more than 15 points a game next season. 

Falcons (4-11) @ Saints (7-8)

Atlanta will have a top 10 pick while New Orleans will be drafting in the middle of the first round. Both teams could use some help on offense. The Falcons might replace Matt Ryan after his horrible season or grab a TE to play alongside Austin Hooper. The Saints should take a center or middle linebacker.

Jags (6-9) @ Broncos (4-11)

These teams are set to have early picks this year, and a loss this week would only help on draft night. The Jaguars have a pretty solid roster already and may look to trade away their pick. Denver, on the other hand, has many needs. Their linebackers and halfbacks are pretty bad. Case Keenum is mediocre at best. There are several players they might draft.

Marty Trace McSorley

Trace McSorley had a very terrible, horrible, no good, very bad game. A mediocre quarterback would've come away with a win against the Titans this week. The Saints lost 17-10 because they threw a pair of pick-sixes. McSorley finished 16-24 with only 168 yards and 1 touchdown. He had 4 interceptions. One positive note is he spread the ball around to 9 different receivers. 

Other Players Who Did Well

Wil Lutz nailed a 59 yarder

Josh Allen had a sack, forced fumble, and interception. 

The Defense held the Titans offense to only 3 points and 24 rushing yards

With the Saints all but eliminated from playoff contention, the team is giving Trace McSorley the starting nod at quarterback. The rookie will be replacing one of the best QB's of all time, Drew Brees. Brees is expected to retire at the end of this season when his contract expires. Several other changes were made to the depth chart this afternoon. Trey Hendrickson and Marcus Davenport will be taking over at defensive end. In a corresponding move, Cam Jordan will start at defensive tackle. Kelani Vakameilalo climbs up to 3rd at the depth chart for this position. Josh Allen will be getting more reps at DE in pass situations. Lastly, Dexter McDonald jumped Dontae Johnson on the depth chart at corner.