The NFC South is a shining example of why it’s a bad idea to be in the NFL prediction business. Everything many thought about the NFC South has been turned on its head in a year where nobody in the division is playing the kind of football we expected to see. The season began with thoughts that the NFC South may be good enough to have two representatives in the playoffs, but about halfway through the season, it looks like the division winner could be around .500, or even worse.

The Atlanta Falcons spent their first two draft picks in the hopes to bolster both the offensive and defensive lines, but a rash of injuries on the offensive line, and no pressure from the edge on defense have left the Falcons looking soft once again. The Carolina Panthers let Steve Smith walk as they were determined to commit to the run, and win with said running game and a strong defense. They aren’t having a lot of success with either part of the plan, as the team is off to an awful start defensively and has suffered injury after injury to its backfield. The New Orleans Saints entered the season believing that they could build on the defense’s surprising 2013, and with hopes that rookie Receiver Brandin Cooks could fill the large shoes of Darren Sproles. While Cooks has been good, the team clearly misses Sproles’ presence, and the defense looks nothing like it did a year ago. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers and their fans were convinced that Lovie Smith could help the team make a Kansas City Chiefs – like turnaround in 2014, but Lovie’s Crew has been every bit as disappointing as some of the worst days under Greg Schiano or Raheem Morris.

Nobody seems to want to grab control of the NFC South as the division has become four teams fighting just to get to mediocrity. The division is bad, and it’s likely for each of these teams that real answers to their many question marks probably won’t arrive until 2015. Here’s six things to know about the NFC South.

1. A lost season for the Falcons due to injuries.

Many within the Atlanta Falcons organization spoke often over the offseason about how they needed to be tougher in 2014. The goal was obvious. The Falcons invested heavily in both the offensive and defensive lines in hopes to strengthen what had become known as a soft football team. The Falcons signed veteran guard Jon Asamoah and spent their first-round draft pick on tackle Jake Matthews. The defensive line saw improvements as well as the team signed a pair of starters, defensive tackle Paul Soliai and defensive end Tyson Jackson. The team’s second-round draft pick was also used to strengthen the team’s defensive line as the team took Minnesota defensive tackle Ra’Shede Hageman. The results haven’t improved much. The Falcons have given up 128 yards a contest on the ground in 2014, only slightly better than the 136 yards they gave up on average a season ago. The passing defense, which gave up an average of 243 yards per game through the air last season, has given up 280 yards per game in 2014. The offensive line’s issues can be summed up by their injuries. We’ll never know how good this unit may have been if left tackle Sam Baker and center Peter Konz were healthy. The Falcons line has been so banged up, they finished one game with tight end Levine Toilolo at right tackle.

2. The Panthers best laid plans have failed.

Before the season, Panthers Director of Player Engagement Mark Carrier told Football Insiders that his team had parted ways with Steve Smith, Sr. because the team wanted to commit to winning with a strong running game and a dominant defense. While the Panthers’ defense was dominant in 2013, 2014 has seen Carolina give up yards and points in bunches. The Panthers’ defense has given up 135 yards a game on the ground this season, which is just shy of 50 yards more than they gave up per game a year ago. The team is also giving up almost 30 more passing yards per game than they did in 2013. While the team was determined to commit to the run, the Panthers’ backfield has seemingly dealt with as many injuries as the Falcons’ offensive line. The Panthers’ running game has struggled, and the team that ran for 126 yards a game in 2013 is averaging just 92 per game this season. The plan was to run the ball and play strong defense, but the defense and run games are struggling and the Panthers have had to resort to throwing the ball. The Panthers’ passing game is averaging 50 more yards a game than it did a year ago, and it’s the only thing keeping them in games. You have to wonder how much better that passing game could have been with Steve Smith Sr. still in the fold.

3. The Saints miss Darren Sproles and Malcolm Jenkins.

The New Orleans Saints just aren’t the same team in 2014. The offense is scoring points and moving the football, but it just doesn’t look like the Saints offense that we’re used to seeing. While some are pointing the finger at Drew Brees, the biggest thing missing from the Saints offense is scat-back Darren Sproles. Sproles caught 71 balls a year ago for 604 yards. When you remember how many of those catches were for first downs when Brees would check down to Sproles, who would seemingly pick up just enough to pass the sticks each time, it’s clear what the offense is missing. Brees still has weapons and the offense can still be explosive, but its Sproles’ ability to help Brees extend drives that the team sorely misses.  Defensively, the Saints have seen a huge drop off, and a large part of that is the loss of Malcom Jenkins. The departure of Jenkins didn’t seem like a loss at all when the team signed free agent safety Jairus Byrd, who has been an All-Pro safety and when healthy is an upgrade over Jenkins. The problem is, Byrd couldn’t stay on the field and is now done for the season while Jenkins is having a great season in Philadelphia. While Jenkins never seemed as effective in New Orleans as he has been this season for the Philadelphia Eagles, it must hurt every time a Saints fan has seen highlights of one of Jenkins three interceptions, two of which, he returned for touchdowns.

4. The rebuilding has just begun in Tampa.

It was a little surprising that Lovie Smith and Tampa Bay Buccaneers general manager Jason Licht so adamantly refused to admit that the team was rebuilding when they took the reins this offseason, but one has to wonder if they regret their words month’s later. While many predicted the Buccaneers would turn things around quickly, the lack of a franchise quarterback, a completely rebuilt offensive line and a defense it took Hall of Famers a while to master suggested the turnaround would not be quick in Tampa. If every one of their offseason moves worked out perfectly, a playoff push may not have been out of the question, but the suggestions that the Buccaneers could be a 10 or 11-win team this season were absurd. The Buccaneers were rebuilding then, and they’re still rebuilding now. Whether Bucs fans want to hear it or not, they’ll still be rebuilding next year as well. They’re just not that close to competing. The Buccaneers need to rebuild a defense that was on pace to give up more points than any team in NFL history prior to their Week 8 game with the Minnesota Vikings, and the offensive line, again. And there’s that whole quarterback thing. They need to find one of those also. While the Buccaneers brass still hasn’t said the word rebuilding out loud, they admitted as much without words before the trade deadline when they jettisoned disappointing first-round draft pick Mark Barron and Jonathan Casillas for mid to late-round draft picks.

5. The Panthers, Saints and Buccaneers are relying heavily on rookie receivers.

As mentioned above, while the Panthers wanted to commit to the run this season, they’re throwing the football for about 50 more yards a game than they were a year ago. A large part of that passing attack has been rookie receiver Kelvin Benjamin. Benjamin’s five touchdown receptions tie tight end Greg Olson for most on the team. Benjamin’s 38 receptions are just four fewer than Olson’s 42, and 12 more Jerricho Cotchery, who’s third on the team. Many expected it to take some time for things to click for Benjamin, but he’s been a go-to guy for Cam Newton all season while making some fantastic catches along the way. While the Saints have absolutely missed Darren Sproles, many of the Sproles’ responsibilities in the Saints’ offense have been put on the shoulders of rookie receiver Brandin Cooks, and Cooks has responded. Cooks leads the Saints with 40 receptions, and his 372 receiving yards are second only to Marques Colston’s 402. Cooks has also run the ball six times for 68 yards with a touchdown this season. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers offense isn’t very good, but when they do move the ball through the air, it’s often in the hands of rookie receiver Mike Evans. Evans 25 receptions isn’t that impressive in comparison to Jenkins or Cooks, but it’s only one fewer than the Buccaneers leading receiver Vincent Jackson who has 26. Evans’ 336 receiving yards are also second behind Jackson’s 357.

6. The NFC South is the worst division in football.

When the season began, nobody expected the NFC South to be the worst division in football, as many of us expected that honor to go to the NFC East or AFC South. The Cowboys, Eagles and even Giants have been better than expected in 2014, so despite the fact the Super Bowl winner probably won’t come out of the NFC East, it’s been better than expected. The AFC South has, as expected one of the better teams in football in the Indianapolis Colts, but the Texans are .500, and that would have them in first place in the NFC South! Every other division in football has at least one team that you could make an argument for them getting hot and reaching the Super Bowl. The NFC South on the other hand doesn’t have a team that looks like it would make the playoffs if they were in any other division.