A Career Built on Details
The NFC South was the worst division in the NFL this past season, but it produced the kind of race that makes you wonder why we bother with pre-seasons projections at all. Three teams finished 8-9. The Panthers won the thing with a losing record, becoming the fifth team in NFL history to do something no one particularly celebrates.
Carolina earned a home playoff game because the Falcons closed on a four-game win streak while Tampa Bay collapsed to a 2-7 finish. That is how you win a division in December—by being the last team standing while everyone else trips over their own mediocrity.
The matchup already has enough history; the job is to keep the reading list shorter than the tension.
It is the first team to make the playoffs twice with a losing record, which sounds like a distinction no one should want. Then again, 2025 was still a step in the right direction for a franchise that needed one.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers looked like the favorite for most of the year and finished 8-9. That snapped a streak of five straight playoff appearances and put head coach Todd Bowles on notice. Baker Mayfield threw 12 touchdowns and one interception in the first six games, then managed 14 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in the final 11. His yards per game and touchdown count were his lowest since joining the Bucs in 2023. The team also lost Mike Evans, whose absence coincided with a 4-8 record over the previous two seasons.
The defense has not finished in the top half of the league in three straight years and lost Lavonte David and Jamel Dean. The Buccaneers have a lot to prove in 2026.
The Record He Leaves
Atlanta Falcons
The Falcons registered their eighth-straight losing season in 2025 despite deploying Bijan Robinson, Drake London and Kyle Pitts on offense. Robinson ran for 2,298 yards from scrimbage on 366 total touches—a franchise record that somehow did not translate to wins.
This offseason, the Falcons brought back Matt Ryan in the front office and hired Kevin Stefanski, a two-time NFL Coach of the Year winner who has not reached more than five wins in a season since 2023. They also signed Tua Tagovailoa to compete with Michael Penix Jr. for the starting job. Penix is 4-8 as a starter with the highest bad-throw percentage in the league at 24%. Tagovailoa threw 15 interceptions in 2025 and is 12-13 over the last two years. The Falcons went under their preseason win total in seven of the past eight seasons.
New Orleans Saints
The Saints were supposed to be the worst team in the NFL and went 6-11 instead. Quarterback Tyler Shough, the second-round pick, went 5-4 as a starter and finished as an Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist. He won as many games as all other Saints rookie quarterbacks combined—ever.
New Orleans upgraded around him by adding Travis Etienne and first-round receiver Jordyn Tyson, while Chris Olave is coming off a career year. The defense lost Cameron Jordan, Alontae Taylor and Demario Davis. The Saints played the second-easiest schedule in the NFL this season.
The Part People Remember
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers are expected to face the toughest schedule in the division, but they also had arguably the best offseason among their rivals. They signed pass rusher Jaelan Phillips, who posted the fourth-highest pressure rate in the NFL, and added Pro Bowl linebacker Devin Lloyd from Jacksonville. In the draft, they selected offensive lineman Monroe Freeling in the first round, defensive playmaker Lee Hunter in the second and receiver Chris Brazzell II in the third.
All eyes are on Bryce Young, who is seeking a long-term extension. The former No. 1 overall pick showed he can be a starting quarterback, though his ceiling is limited. The offensive line finished top 10 in pass-blocking efficiency at PFF. The Panthers can repeat as division champions if Young gets enough support.
The Panthers won a division with a losing record for the first time in league history. The NFL has a way of making the ordinary feel historic, even when no one is really watching.