The Tampa Bay Buccaneers may play in the weakest division in the NFL, but it's clear they have to start winning some games.
The NFC South has been the cellar dweller of NFL divisions over the past half-decade and for good reason. The division winner has generally been the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, who have largely reigned supreme in the latter stages of Tom Brady's career and the early portion of Baker Mayfield's stint in Tampa.
That's because since the 2022 season, the NFC South winner has been an eight-win team twice, with the Carolina Panthers most recently achieving the feat last season. Meanwhile, the Buccaneers also achieved the same number of wins during Brady's last season in 2022. Tampa Bay also won the division with a nine-win season the following
year.
The division doesn't appear so mediocre anymore as it enters the 2026 season. It's clear that the division is getting tougher as the Panthers remain one of the top up-and-coming teams in the NFL. Carolina is 1-1 and coming off a 34-3 drubbing of the NFC South rival Atlanta Falcons. They rank second in the NFL in scoring per game, averaging 35.5 points per game behind quarterback Bryce Young's stellar play.
Young has six touchdowns against just one interception for a 113.3 passer rating. Most impressive is that the fourth-year quarterback's deep ball is suddenly among the best in the league, with averages of 14.1 yards per completion and 8.9 yards per attempt. Those marks both rank in the top five of the league. For perspective, Young averaged just 9.9 yards per completion and 8.9 yards per attempt last season.
His third-year receiver, Xavier Legette, has noticed Young's leap this season. Young ranks second in the league in passing yards (648).
"He's getting the ball out of his hands quicker," Legette said. "He's expanding. He's looking through the progression and putting it in our hands, man."
It's clear that the Panthers aren't going anywhere and are poised to defend their division title this season.
Meanwhile, the New Orleans Saints -- who haven't been to the playoffs since Drew Brees suited up back in 2020 -- may be the most impressive team in the division. Led by second-year quarterback Tyler Shough, the Saints pulled off a massive upset over the Baltimore Ravens, with New Orleans beating Baltimore as -8.5-point road underdogs.
Shough has proven to be the Saints' franchise quarterback in his second season, with his late-game heroics proving to be a difference-maker. He nearly led New Orleans to a 21-0 comeback against the Detroit Lions on the road before they came up just short in a 31-30 overtime loss.
The 26-year-old Shough threw three touchdowns and a career-high 410 passing yards against the Lions. Against the Ravens, he posted a 107.4 passer rating with a 79.2% completion rate. He's leading the NFL with 662 passing yards. The Saints rank ninth in scoring per game.
"I liked what I saw out of the Saints, specifically Tyler Shough," said former Saints QB Chase Daniel after the Lions game. "To see Tyler Shough do that, it just tells me that he's for sure the franchise guy for them."
It's also worth noting that entering the season, the Saints had the third-easiest schedule in the NFL. That is sure to play a major role moving forward as we see the true pecking order of the NFC South established.
The Atlanta Falcons have been off to a dreadful winless start to the season, but they've started No. 3 quarterback Cooper Rush in the first two games of the season. We could see the team's true potential as early as Week 3, when Michael Penix Jr. returns to the starting lineup.
Through the first two weeks of the season, it's clear the Buccaneers have a lot of work to do. They're 0-2, and one could argue that they're the third-best team in the division. Gone are the days when they'll coast to a division title with eight or nine wins. The Buccaneers have to start winning games as early as this week, at home against the Minnesota Vikings, to get their season back on track. Falling two games behind the NFC South division leader could be disastrous.
The Buccaneers have a tough road ahead, facing the 2-0 Vikings, the Green Bay Packers, the Dallas Cowboys, the Pittsburgh Steelers, and the Panthers in their next five games. Every one of those teams (with the exception of the Cowboys) either was in the playoffs or finished with a winning record last season.
It's worth noting that only 16% of 0-2 teams make the playoffs. That stat decreases even more if a team drops to 0-3, with only four teams since 1990 making the playoffs with that kind of start.
Buccaneers fans, the NFC South is stronger as a division, and the Buccaneers appear to be weaker. It's time for Tampa Bay to get their season back on track before it goes off the rails completely.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: The Current State of the NFC South Amid Buccaneers' 0-2 Start
