The NFC South has typically been the laughingstock among the divisions, sending teams around .500 to the playoffs consistently. All four of these teams are primed and believe they’ve made the moves necessary to win this division, which is usually wide open for anyone to take the crown.

Here are my predictions for the NFC South in the 2026 NFL season.

New Orleans Saints

2026 Record: 10-7

There’s been a lot of hype around the New Orleans Saints after how Tyler Shough finished the 2025 season. The Saints won five of their last eight games, and everything started to click for Kellen Moore’s team. Entering 2026, the offense has made upgrades with Travis Etienne Jr. and Jordyn Tyson. If Shough can hit his ceiling, this unit can be a top-12 unit in the league.

Defensively, the Saints’ secondary is what is limiting them on paper from being a top team in the NFC. It was something I anticipated them to improve on this offseason, but they barely touched the unit. New Orleans hopes that second-year players like Quincy Riley and Jonas Sanker can make second-year jumps. New Orleans already is facing injuries with the loss of Bryan Bresee for the 2026 season, but rookie Christen Miller can step right into his place.

Looking at the schedule, it starts rough for New Orleans with road games in Detroit and Baltimore, but eases up after that.

Carolina Panthers

2026 Record: 7-10

The Carolina Panthers won this division last year and expect to do it again in 2026. Looking at the team, they made the necessary moves in the offseason to make that happen. Signing big-time free agents like Devin Lloyd and Jaelan Phillips to help bolster the defensive side of the ball.

Injuries have already begun to impact this team, with Taylor Moton, Ikem Ekwonu, Chris Brazzell II, and Nic Scourton all expected to miss time early in the season or for the entire season. Regardless of the injuries, I’m not sure how high of a ceiling this team has under Bryce Young. Yes, they went toe-to-toe with the Los Angeles Rams in the playoffs last season, but I don’t anticipate them finding that type of consistent success again.

It’s not like the roster is bad or not in a place to make a run, but when it came time to pick games on their schedule, I was just higher on other teams. I have them losing against Green Bay, Detroit, Philadelphia, Seattle, and Baltimore, just to name a few.

Carolina has something going on under Dave Canales, and I could just be too blind to see it. But when comparing them to other teams in the league, I just don’t see them coming out on top. Maybe I’m just too low on Young as a quarterback, and that could be my own fault.

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

2026 Record: 6-11

I know Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans aren’t gonna be happy with this one, but after the way this team ended last season, who knows how 2026 will go. Tampa Bay lost two franchise legends this offseason: Mike Evans, who left for San Francisco, and Lavonte David, who retired. To help replenish those positions, the Buccaneers drafted Ted Hurst III and Josiah Trotter in the 2026 draft to fill those roles.

Looking at the roster, I still see a solid floor of six wins. This team should and will be competitive, but the reality is that, when picking the games, I just didn’t know where those tough wins would come from. Tampa Bay will need Baker Mayfield to play at the MVP-caliber level he showed earlier in the 2025 season to be a real threat in the NFC. I just don’t see that happening and, quite frankly, am just higher on other teams.

The NFC South just got the short end of the stick when it came to predictions. Teams have to lose, and overall I just like teams in the NFC North and NFC East more. Tampa’s rushing defense is also an area that will struggle in 2026. Losing David hurts, and having a rookie to replace him at Trotter will come with some learning curves. Alex Anzalone was a good signing, but how much can he really raise the rushing defense on his own?

Along with the rushing defense, how will the pass defense fare with players like Jacob Parrish needing to fill big roles and Keionte Scott? Just too many question marks for me with this Tampa Bay team, which is a reason I’m lower on them in 2026.

Atlanta Falcons

2026 Record: 4-13

The NFL runs on how far a quarterback can take you. Teams have learned the hard way: when you don’t have a quarterback, you don’t win. The Atlanta Falcons will learn that this season, given how questionable their quarterback room looks so far. Atlanta’s quarterback room consists of Tua Tagovailoa, Michael Penix Jr., Cooper Rush, and Jack Strand. Not pretty. Then the offensive depth isn’t there on the offensive line, especially at tackle. If any offensive line starter gets hurt, it could brew trouble for Atlanta.

Then pass rush is the next big question. The Falcons will be without their two first-round picks from a year ago, Jalon Walker and James Pearce Jr., for at least eight weeks. Walker tore his ACL in the preseason, and Pearce will miss the first eight games due to a suspension. Atlanta has no depth at the position, which already means trouble. If you can’t pressure the quarterback in the NFL, your defense will struggle.

The secondary, though, is the highlight of this team. Xavier Watts had a great rookie season; Jessie Bates III is one of the best in the NFL, and the team has the Terrell brothers (A.J. and Marcus) at corner. It should be a good unit, and with Divine Deablo leading them all, it should be a competitive back end for the Falcons.

With no real pass rush and a quarterback room facing major questions, expect this Falcons team to struggle out of the gate (poor Bijan Robinson).