The NFC South division has been an interesting one the past few seasons. It certainly hasn’t been the best, but it surely has been entertaining. The Buccaneers won four straight NFC South crowns before last year’s collapse which allowed the Panthers to take over as the top dog in the division. Tampa Bay is looking to bounce back and re-claim their crown but how do they stack up to the other teams?
1. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Don’t get me wrong, I still have a lot of questions for this Bucs team. They have a new offensive coordinator,
questions about an inconsistent quarterback, an overhauled defense and a head coach that could be on the hot seat. However, they still have a lot of talent in many important areas. Their offensive line should still remain among the league’s best, and I do believe the defense will be at least slightly better in 2026.
Tampa Bay was actually still very close to winning the division in 2025 despite the collapse. They were eliminated from playoff contention after the Atlanta Falcons beat the New Orleans Saints. Had New Orleans won that game, the Bucs would have won the tiebreaker over Carolina and taken the division.
With all of that in mind, I still have the most confidence in this Bucs group out of the rest of these teams despite the questions I may still have about them. They remain the top team and I think it’s reasonable to expect them to win the division once again.
2. Carolina Panthers
Last year’s division winner ends up second here, but I do think Carolina did some good things this offseason. They spent big money in an effort to improve their defense, signing pass rusher Jaelan Phillips and linebacker Devin Lloyd in free agency. Both players were among the top of their positions available on the market and to be able to land both is good work by the Panthers front office.
My biggest concern with Carolina is the quarterback position. Bryce Young has rebounded nicely from what was looking like a potential end to his Carolina tenure when he was benched in 2024 but has become a much better player since then. However, I’m just not sure if he is good enough to carry a team to the postseason year in and year out. Some may disagree and that’s okay, there are things to like about Young’s game, but there are also plays that have you wondering what he was thinking. I don’t believe Carolina’s offense will be as good as Tampa Bay’s throughout the season, and I think that may be the difference.
3. Atlanta Falcons
This one was tough between the Falcons and Saints. I think both of these teams are very close but I gave the slight edge to Atlanta because I have liked the direction their defense has gone recently. Despite James Pearce Jr’s off field issues, they still have a lot of young talent on that side of the ball, and their 2025 draft class was one of the better ones in the entire league. Another reason is their skill position players are very good. Bijan Robinson is arguably the best running back in the NFL and Drake London is a super talented wide receiver. Add in inconsistent but always dangerous Kyle Pitts and that is an exciting group.
The question with Atlanta is easily quarterback. They have the most unstable situation out of all the NFC South teams and that is mostly because they don’t know exactly who the guy under center for 2026 will be. They signed Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Michael Penix Jr this preseason. Penix Jr has shown flashes, and I still believe there is a good quarterback in there somewhere, but he hasn’t quite put it together yet.
The 2026 Falcons may go as far as their quarterbacks will take them. If they find the right guy to get the ball to their weapons, they may very well be right there competing for the division title.
4. New Orleans Saints
I believe the Saints are slowly trending in the right direction. Kellen Moore appears to be a good hire as head coach, and they have some intriguing talent. Quarterback Tyler Shough played really well down the stretch to cap off a solid rookie season. If he continues to develop, the Saints offense will improve even more with Chris Olave as well as new additions like free agent signing Travis Etienne Jr and first round pick Jordyn Tyson.
As I mentioned earlier, the Saints and the Falcons are super close, and I honestly don’t think there is a bad team in this division. I just think the Saints are probably still a year away from truly threatening for the division.
What do you guys think? Who will win the division in 2026? Let us know in the comments below!
