Can anyone unseat the Falcons in the NFC South?

Not long ago, the NFC South was the crowning example of parity in the NFL.

From 2002-13, the division produced a new champion each year. However, a run of three straight titles by the Carolina Panthers forced the rest of the division to reload in order to take them down, leading to the Atlanta Falcons and their historically great offense rising to the top last year.

Despite a heartbreaking loss to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LI, the Falcons are still the team to beat - though many will question the vulnerability of their mental makeup until they prove otherwise.

Matt Ryan and Co. return on offense, though they'll have to try and repeat their off-the-charts 2016 production without coordinator Kyle Shanahan, now the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers.

So, does anyone have enough firepower to stand toe-to-toe with the Falcons and inject some parity back in the division? Here are the contenders for the crown in the NFC South:

New Orleans Saints

When you have a future Hall of Famer under center, you always have a shot at a division title. But Drew Brees' heroics over the past several years haven't been enough to drag the Saints back into the postseason, so has the front office done enough to surround the star pivot with enough support for one last Super Bowl run?

It all rests on the defense, which, for too long, has been one of the worst units in the league. After flirting with an offseason trade for Malcolm Butler, the Saints haven't significantly bolstered their secondary. Rookie cornerback Marshon Lattimore will help, but it remains to be seen whether the defense can raise its game to anywhere near the offense's level.

Adrian Peterson was the headlining free-agent signing, and while the Saints seem dedicated to expanding their use of the run game, Brees' arm, not the legs of Peterson or Mark Ingram, will still be the offense's determining factor.

The losses of defensive tackle Nick Fairley to a season-ending heart issue and left tackle Terron Armstead for four-to-six months due to shoulder surgery may not be fatal blows, but losing two key players before the start of training camp is tough for any team to recover from - especially for the top-heavy Saints.

It's hard to imagine Brees and head coach Sean Payton failing to engineer one final shot at a second ring, but ultimately, the Saints' two biggest names need the rest of an already depleted roster to play above and beyond their abilities to challenge Atlanta.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Every year, at least one team is marked as a sleeper contender thanks to a potentially dominant offense. This season, it's the Buccaneers, after the additions of DeSean Jackson, O.J. Howard, and Chris Godwin to a Jameis Winston-led unit that already boasted Mike Evans, Cameron Brate, and Doug Martin.

If the Falcons' attack is explosive but clinical, exciting yet always in control, Tampa Bay's offense is like setting off fireworks in your backyard - potentially awe-inspiring and a hell of a lot of fun, but with the risk of burning down your whole house in the process.

Winston is - like most burgeoning franchise quarterbacks - the key to the Bucs' postseason hopes. A significant third-year leap could spell doom for the rest of the division, but the gunslinger in Winston is always there, waiting to dash Tampa Bay's chances with an ill-advised throw into double coverage.

Add in the potential for Jackson to go all Terrell Owens if he doesn't see enough of the ball and the questions that still surround Doug Martin - who is banned for the first three games - after a stint in rehab, and the Bucs might be the biggest boom-or-bust team in the NFL.

Carolina Panthers

The Panthers looked on the path back to contender status after regressing severely in 2016, but Carolina may have shot itself in the foot by firing general manager Dave Gettleman days before the start of training camp.

The Panthers are obviously still the same team on paper, but the shocking move raises concerns about issues behind the scenes and their potential to bleed onto the field.

To challenge the Falcons, the Panthers need their two best players - Cam Newton and Luke Kuechly - to be 100 percent healthy. The defense isn't nearly the same animal without Kuechly roaming around the center of the field, and Carolina has recognized that Newton needs more help and a less demanding scheme, especially as he recovers from offseason shoulder surgery.

Christian McCaffrey and Curtis Samuel were drafted with this change in mind, but such a radical philosophical shift on offense won't happen overnight.

In the meantime, Kuechly and the rest of the defense must shoulder the load and rediscover their 2015 form - when Carolina ranked sixth in total defense - or suffer the same fate as last season.

Also from this series

• Can anyone unseat the Cowboys in the NFC East?
• Can anyone unseat the Packers in the NFC North?
• Can anyone unseat the Seahawks in the NFC West?
• Can anyone unseat the Patriots in the AFC East?
• Can anyone unseat the Steelers in the AFC North?
• Can anyone unseat the Texans in the AFC South?
• Can anyone unseat the Chiefs in the AFC West?