No. of teams 4 | Founded 2002 | |
Most recent NFC South champion(s) Atlanta Falcons (4th title) |
The NFC South is a division of the National Football Conference (NFC) in the National Football League (NFL). It was created prior to the 2002 NFL season, when the league realigned divisions after expanding to 32 teams. The NFC South currently has four member clubs: the Atlanta Falcons, Carolina Panthers, New Orleans Saints, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Prior to the 2002 season, the Buccaneers belonged to the AFC West (1976) and NFC Central (1977–2001), while the other three teams were part of the geographically inaccurate NFC West.
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The NFC South is the only division since the 2002 realignment to have each of its teams make a conference championship game appearance as well as a Super Bowl appearance: Tampa Bay (2002), Atlanta (2004, 2012, and 2016), Carolina (2003, 2005 and 2015), and New Orleans (2006 and 2009). Also since 2002, each team has won at least three division titles, the only such division in the league.
Entering 2016, the Saints have the most wins among division members. The Saints record is 331–418–5; their win in Super Bowl XLIV is the highlight of a 7–9 playoff record. The Falcons record is 330–432–6 with a playoff record of 9–13; the Falcons lost in Super Bowls XXXIII and LI, the latter in overtime. The Buccaneers record is 241–386–1 with a victory in their only Super Bowl appearance, Super Bowl XXXVII, and an overall playoff record of 6–9. The Panthers have the best playoff record (9–7) of any team in the division with losses in Super Bowls XXXVIII and 50 and the best overall record in the division (166–169–1).
The NFC South is the only NFC division not to have any teams that predate the 1960 launch of the American Football League. Each of the other NFC divisions has 3 such teams, while the remaining three are in the American Football Conference. (In contrast, the NFC South's oldest team is the Falcons, who began play in 1966. The Saints began play only a year later in 1967.)
The NFC South became the second division in five years to have a champion with a losing record, as the 2014 Carolina Panthers won the division with a 7–8–1 record. (The 2010 Seattle Seahawks won the NFC West with a 7–9 record.) Additionally, Carolina became the first team to repeat as NFC South champions since the creation of the division. The Panthers are the only team to win the NFC South three consecutive times from 2013 to 2015.
Division lineups
Place cursor over year for division champ or Super Bowl team.
Total Playoff Berths
(NFC South records since 2002)
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