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No, Sean Payton hasn’t completely jumped ship.

Ask the former New Orleans Saints coach to predict the winner of the NFC South and Payton didn’t hesitate to provide Tom Brady & Co. with some bulletin-board material to kick off the season.

Payton sees the Saints – and not the widely-favored Tampa Bay Buccaneers – seizing the division title.

“And here’s why: We finished last year at 9-8, with 50-something players that missed games because of injury,” Payton told USA TODAY Sports during a wide-ranging interview. “It’s easy to see two more wins there. That puts you at 11 (wins). And then conversely, it appears Tampa has had some injuries. I think the early schedule favors New Orleans, the way it sets up.



“Atlanta’s in transition. Carolina’s in transition,” Payton added, referring to the other NFC South teams. “No disrespect to those teams but I feel like it’s a two-team race in that division. Will it be close? I’m sure it will be. But the coaching staff is intact (sans Payton) with the same coordinators. There’s a lot of continuity. And that team knows that it can beat Tampa Bay.”

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