12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
For the first half of the 2025 season, the Buccaneers looked like they were on their way toward contending for a spot in the NFC Championship Game. But the operation went completely off the rails in the second half of the season.
Now, it feels like this is a make-or-break year for head coach Todd Bowles as well as quarterback Baker Mayfield, who is entering a contract year. Losing multiple really good offensive coordinators doesn't help but Mayfield has to be better than we saw in the second half last season.
Just like most teams with talent who underachieved last season, the Buccaneers dealt with a lot of injuries throughout the year. But they also had issues on the defensive line that might be fixed with the addition of Rueben Bain in the 2026 NFL Draft. That fortuitous draft steal gives the Bucs an every-down threat who can rush the quarterback from multiple positions.
Not having Mike Evans or Lavonte David is going to be weird to see for this team, but it's time for Mayfield to really step up. In the final 8 games last season, Mayfield completed less than 62 percent of his passes with 10 touchdowns and 9 interceptions. He averaged just just under 188 yards per game. It's almost no wonder the Bucs dropped out of the postseason race entirely.
11. Carolina Panthers
Shockingly, the Carolina Panthers emerged just enough this past season to win the NFC South and make a little noise in their playoff matchup against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Panthers actually played the Rams extremely tough twice last season, and the high points of the 2025 season are really fueling the optimism for this team in 2026.
Carolina finally feels like they have a core to build around, even though the jury is still out on Bryce Young. But this is the year where Young will have the opportunity to earn his big-money contract and prove why the Panthers used the #1 pick in the draft (trading a haul in the process) to take him.
Young has plenty of help around him at the offensive skill positions, and the Panthers are one of the most improved teams in the NFL defensively over the last two years. They upgraded even more this offseason with the additions of Jaelan Phillips off the edge and Devin Lloyd at linebacker. This team should be good for another 9 wins at minimum in 2026.
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