3. Tennessee Titans (3-14 in 2025)
This might seem insane, but the Tennessee Titans do have a shot. Both CJ Stroud and Daniel Jones are question marks right now at the QB position, and Trevor Lawrence, while efficient down the stretch, hasn't sustained a high level of play for an entire season.
Yes, it's a tough ask for Cam Ward to make a big enough leap to be looked at as arguably the best QB in the division, but that's not impossible given Ward's skillset and Brian Daboll now being in the picture.
The Titans would also need to see the defense come into their own, and also hope that the Jacksonville Jaguars and Houston Texans regress. Those teams won 13 and 12 games last year, so that many wins does leave a razor-thin margin for error that simply might not be there in 2026.
2. New Orleans Saints (6-11 in 2025)
Three of four NFC South teams finished with an 8-9 record, and while the New Orleans Saints finished just 6-11, they won four of their final five games and saw QB Tyler Shough play quite well for a rookie. With added talent on offense and a clearly weak division with no obvious favorite, a year two leap from Shough and perhaps a devloped year from Kellen Moore in year two as head coach could lead to the Saints adding a few more wins.
Nine wins might just be enough to win the NFC South this year, and what we saw from the Saints in 2025 does set the stage for a progression this year.
1. Detroit Lions (9-8 in 2025)
Along with the Detroit Lions, the Green Bay Packers and Minnesota Vikings also finished with nine wins in the NFC North during the 2025 season. The division was only won with 11 games, and the Lions had won the division in the two seasons prior, combining for 27 regular season wins across the 2023 and 2024 years.
The Lions are among the most prolific offenses in the NFL, and many of us were truly shocked that Detroit ended up falling out of the NFC playoffs. It's quite clear to see why the Lions would be the most likely worst-to-first team, as the entire division was decided by just two games, so a bounce going the other way could have flipped this division around.
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