12. Tampa Bay Buccaneers, 3-6
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are one of the most interesting teams in the NFL. Baker Mayfield has flat-out stink this year, but the Bucs are not only running the ball extremely well, but they're stopping the run at an elite rate, too.
All that together gives them a 3-6 record and a fighting chance in the NFC South, but this old-school-adjacent style of play clearly isn't working out. Yes, Mayfield missed some time, but teams are who they are this deep into the season.
There just isn't a lot to love with this team overall, but I guess the one thing that could go in their favor is how often they have been atop the NFC South in recent years - perhaps that experience can translate as the season goes on, but it's hard to find much else outside of that.
Tampa is outside the top-10 in our NFC power rankings and do have an uphill battle in front of them.
11. Carolina Panthers, 3-5
Now losers of three games in a row, the Carolina Panthers tumble down to No. 11 in our NFC power rankings. Sure, the offense has been fun, at times, but that hasn't really helped. The defense has been atrocious this year, as the Panthers recently fired Ejiro Evero, who was their defensive coordinator.
They should be getting some key players back into the mix here in the coming weeks, and they do have the best record in the NFC South, along with New Orleans, but the Panthers don't consistently threaten you anywhere and would not be a threat in the playoffs.
As of now, Carolina's 8-9 record from 2025, which was good enough to win the division, could actually be good enough to win it this year. However, this year was supposed to present a jump from 2025, but that just has not happened thus far.
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