The Tampa Bay Buccaneers saw their four-year run atop the NFC South come to an end last season, but NFL.com believes their stay away from the top of the division will be a short one. In NFL.com's annual playoff predictions, 17 of the 19 participating analysts selected Tampa Bay to win the NFC South in 2026. The Buccaneers were the clear favorite in the division, with the other two votes going to the New Orleans Saints. Carolina, which won the division last season, did not receive a single first-place vote. Tampa Bay will look to rebound after a plummet in the second half of the season, losing 7 of their last 9 games.
The Bucs started last year looking like they could extend their run of NFC South championships to five straight before things unraveled.
Tampa Bay ultimately finished 8-9 and missed the playoffs after losing a three-way tiebreaker, allowing Carolina to take the division despite finishing with the same record. NFL.com's Ben McWilliams pointed toward Baker Mayfield as the biggest reason to expect a different outcome this time around. McWilliams called a healthy and motivated Mayfield, who is entering a contract year, the best quarterback in the NFC South and expects him to lead Tampa Bay back to the postseason.
Tampa Bay underwent plenty of change during the offseason, including losing longtime franchise cornerstones Mike Evans and Lavonte David. The offense will also have another new voice calling plays after Zac Robinson took over as offensive coordinator. Still, NFL.com's panel sees enough established talent remaining to view last season as more of a setback than the start of a decline. The betting odds cited by NFL.com also had Tampa Bay as the NFC South favorite at +175 when the predictions were published, followed by New Orleans at +290. Nothing about the division appears guaranteed. Carolina is coming off its first NFC South championship since 2015, while Atlanta and New Orleans have made their own changes in hopes of climbing the standings. After watching its four-year reign end in frustrating fashion, Tampa Bay enters 2026 as the overwhelming NFL.com pick to take the NFC South right back.
This article originally appeared on Bucs Wire: NFL.com predicts Bucs will reclaim NFC South
