Canal Street Chronicles
What a weird season for the NFC South, but in the end, the Carolina Panthers were the division winners. Now, going into the offseason, all four of these teams have tough work to do this offseason, so let’s start the preview.
This was a very disappointing season for the Buccaneers. Instead of repeating their NFC South dominance of recent years and QB Baker Mayfield proving to be a real franchise QB, the team was a shell of its old self. Mayfield struggled throughout the season, the run game fell apart at times, and the coaching was horrible. I would say that one of the things the Bucs need to do is move on from HC Todd Bowles, but it seems he will be staying. They have begun to make changes to the offensive coaching staff, which may bring some improvement, but if another disappointing season occurs, a small reset may be coming.
In almost every opposite way, the Panthers were the shock of the NFC South. Going from nearly last in the 2024 NFC South to first in 2025 is an excellent turnaround. It was far from perfect, and now there is an expectation to repeat in 2026, which creates more pressure, but it can easily happen again. The main question, as it always has been, is QB Bryce Young’s consistency and whether he can be the franchise guy. Young showed some great flashes of it, but his contract extension is on its way, and it could be a top 10 QB contract. The question is whether that is worth it with how volatile his play has been.
Back to the disappointing teams of the NFC South, the Falcons were in a similar state as the Buccaneers. Massive expectations to take the next step in 2025, but it fell very much short. Yes, they were one game away from first place, but it was not a pretty season. QB Michael Penix went down with a devastating knee injury, and there is now growing concern given his already extensive history of knee issues. There is still uncertainty at the most important position in football, even after trying to double dip with an expensive free agent QB (Kirk Cousins) and a top drafted QB (Penix). This team has way too many young, dynamic pieces to be third in the division next year, and with the HC search underway, maybe they will find the guy to maximize the talent on the roster.
For last place in the division, the Saints may have one of the top future outlooks in the division. Over the last 5 weeks of the season, New Orleans won 4 games. Yes, they could not end the season with that final victory, but for a team that looked like it was going to select #1 overall at one point, there is real momentum heading into next season. QB Tyler Shough looks like the guy, and the...
