The Buccaneers spent four straight seasons on top of the NFC South before Carolina finally knocked them off in 2026, but the Panthers’ grip on the division looks shaky heading into the new year. Tampa Bay has plenty of reasons to believe the crown can come right back.
Start with Bryce Young. The Panthers are sticking with him for another season, but his 2025 numbers were rough enough to raise real doubts about what comes next.
Among 45 qualifying quarterbacks, Young ranked 32nd in EPA/play at -0.042, 36th in success rate at 45%, 29th in passer rating at 87.8 and 35th in yards per attempt at 6.3, according to SumerSports. He topped 200 passing yards only four times all season.
Carolina did add help around him. Monroe Feeling arrived in the first round to bolster the offensive line, and Chris Brazzell gives the offense another weapon.
Even so, Young still has to show he can be an average NFL quarterback on a consistent basis, something he has not done at any point in his career. Tampa Bay, meanwhile, has already had his number, going 5-1 against him.
With a rebuilt defensive line and edge group, the Buccaneers have even more ways to make life miserable for him.
The schedule also tilts against Carolina. The Panthers won the division at 8-9 and pushed the Los Angeles Rams close in their first playoff game, but that finish earned them a first-place schedule in 2026.
That means more heavy lifting, and the slate is no joke. Carolina already has to deal with the NFC North and AFC North, just like Tampa Bay does, but its common opponents include the Philadelphia Eagles, the Denver Broncos and the Seattle Seahawks.
That stretch gets even more punishing when you look at what comes before the Week 12 Monday Night Football meeting with the Buccaneers. By then, Carolina will already have faced the Eagles, Broncos, Chicago Bears, Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens. If the Panthers arrive in Tampa worn down by that run, the Bucs should be in position to take advantage.
Defense is another area where Carolina still has to prove it can turn talent into results. The Panthers made a push in free agency and the draft, adding edge rusher Jaelen Phillips, linebacker Devin Lloyd, defensive tackle Lee Hunter and cornerback Will Lee. But the bigger issue remains the same: Ejiro Evero’s unit still has plenty to answer for.
Last year, Carolina ranked 30th in opponent third-down conversion rate at 45.74%, and the year before it was dead last at 50.22%. The Panthers were tied for 30th in sacks, finished with the worst pressure rate in the league and landed 22nd in defensive DVOA. That’s not the profile of a defense that’s suddenly fixed by a few additions.
Evero earned his extension after guiding a defense many believed was outperforming its talent. Now the talent has arrived, and the pressure is on him to keep the production going. The numbers suggest that may be easier said than done.
If Tampa Bay’s offense under Zac Robinson comes together the way the Buccaneers hope, Carolina could be staring at a divisional matchup against a unit that is ready to exploit every weakness. In that scenario, the Bucs have a clear path to making noise in the NFC South again.
In Other News...
Should The Buccaneers Go All In For Denzel Ward
The Browns decision to move Myles Garrett earlier this offseason has already changed the way the rest of the league views Clevelands roster, and it has put Denzel Ward squarely into the kind of trade conversation that usually only comes up when a team starts thinking bigger-picture. For the Buccaneers, that matters because they are still looking for a true top cornerback to anchor the back end of the defense, and Wards name naturally fits a need that has been hard to ignore.
Tampa Bay is one of the teams being discussed as a possible landing spot before the 2026 season, alongside Detroit and San Francisco, which says plenty about how the market could form if Cleveland keeps leaning into a reset. The question for the Bucs is whether they would be willing to pay the price in draft capital or part with a young defensive back to make a move like that happen, especially if Ward becomes available sooner rather than later. [Read more 🡒]
Bucs Offense Just Got A Brutal Verdict Fans Wont Ignore
The Buccaneers offense is heading into the kind of summer that invites a lot of second-guessing, especially after ESPNs Bill Barnwell slotted Tampa Bays weapons group 22nd in the league. That is a steep drop from where the unit stood a year ago, and it reflects a mix of uncertainty around the supporting cast and the simple reality that the Bucs are asking a lot from players who will have to carry more of the load.
Chris Godwin Jr., Bucky Irving and rookie Ted Hurst all sit in the middle of that conversation, which is where Tampa Bays hope and worry overlap. The offense still has enough talent to matter, but the questions are obvious: who stays healthy, who holds up over a full season, and who is ready to turn potential into production before the rest of the league forces the issue. [Read more 🡒]
Baker Mayfield Just Got Hit With Another Brutal National Snub
Baker Mayfields run in Tampa Bay has already given the Buccaneers a steadier stretch than many expected when he arrived, with three seasons, a 27-24 regular-season mark and a playoff win to show for it. Even after that kind of production, CBS Sports still slotted him into its volatile veterans group in its quarterback rankings, a bucket that suggests more uncertainty than the Bucs have actually gotten from him.
The placement feels especially notable because Mayfield has stacked up well statistically in recent seasons and has helped keep Tampa Bay in the mix. For a quarterback who has become central to the teams identity, the bigger question now is whether the national view catches up before his next contract decision becomes part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]