The NFC South looks wide open again, but the team sitting on top of the board is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
FanDuel has Tampa Bay as the +200 favorite to win the division, which would give the Bucs their fifth NFC South title in six years. The Carolina Panthers are listed with the longest odds at +320, though the gap between them and the rest of the division is not especially large.
That’s what makes this race so messy. Last season, the Panthers won the division at 8-9, becoming only the fifth team ever to take a division title with a losing record. Bryce Young and Carolina got there after a year that saw Tampa Bay fight through injuries, Atlanta lose games because of shaky quarterback play, and New Orleans surge late before running out of time.
The case for the Buccaneers starts with the simplest argument in the division: they’re the best team. Tampa Bay opened last season 6-2 before the BYE week, then dropped seven of its final nine. Even then, the finish wasn’t a collapse in every sense - the Bucs’ last four losses all came by four points or fewer, which is why there’s belief that a little late-game luck can swing back their way this time.
They also have what no one else in the NFC South can quite match: the best quarterback and the most complete roster. Add in their draft haul, including Rueben Bain Jr., and there’s enough here to see why Tampa Bay is being treated as the safest pick in a division that doesn’t have a clear heavyweight.
The bigger picture is simple enough. No one is calling this group a Super Bowl lane. But if the question is who can navigate the weakest division in football, the answer points to Tampa Bay.
Pick: Buccaneers to Win NFC South (+200) via FanDuel
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Murphy-Buntings history with the Buccaneers gives the idea some appeal, especially for a secondary that could benefit from his experience and mentorship. At the same time, any move would come with obvious questions about health and fit, and for now it remains only a possibility as the team works through final roster decisions. [Read more 🡒]