20. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers got off to a wicked-hot start in 2025, but they cratered and missed the playoffs entirely. It was a nice little run there for Tampa, but now with the Carolina Panthers putting some things together, the Atlanta Falcons having an overall strong roster, and the New Orleans Saints perhaps up and coming, the NFC South could be very muddied in 2026.
You would like to think that the Bucs could be viewed as a favorite, but the 2025 season really showed us how many flaws this team has, and they’re not good ones. Heck, we’re not even sure if Todd Bowles is the right coach for this team.
The Bucs feel very average right now, and that’s probably the worst place to be in - the juggernauts are competing for Super Bowls, and the worst teams in the NFL are at least trying to rebuild. Being in the irrelevant middle is a death sentence.
19. Carolina Panthers
The Carolina Panthers were not a good team this year, so let’s not get ahead of ourselves. Bryce Young played the best football of his career in 2025, but he was pretty average overall. The offense wasn’t very consistent, and the defense was good, but nothing special.
Carolina really only won the NFC South because of how bad it ended up being, as they would have been in second or third place in most every other division in the league. I think the season itself was a great experience for Panthers’ fans, as they got to see a home playoff game, but I would not be shocked if Carolina ended up finishing in last place in 2026.
But a playoff appearance is still notable, so they deserve a ton of credit for that. Carolina comes in at no. 19 in our updated power rankings.