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Buccaneers Named 'Prohibitive Favorite' For NFC South

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Adam Schultz | Last updated Jul 7, 2025 10:41 PM ET

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have won the NFC South four straight years, and we don't see anything happening that won't see the franchise make it five in a row.

And neither does former NFL player and now analyst Ross Tucker.

With an offense that is the envy of the league and has the potential to be the best in football thanks to the weapons and offensive line around Baker Mayfield, coupled with a defense that should be better with the addition of Haason Reddick and draftees Benjamin Morrison and Jacob Parrish to nail down the secondary, Tampa has everything it needs for success in 2025.

And for Tucker, who was speaking on his podcast, the Ross Tucker podcast, he has Tampa Bay as the favorite for the division.

"They are the prohibitive favorite, I would think in that division," Tucker said. "Although I don't know Atlanta might have something to say about that too, but it would feel to me, some divisions I don't know that I have a great feel for, but I would think NFC Southm you're looking at Tampa and Atlanta at the top then a drop, then Carolina and then New Orleans."

We think that's fair, based on how the rest of the division is shaping up.

The Falcons are somewhat of an unknown with Michael Penix Jr. starting, but he does have weapons around him. The Carolina Panthers are expected to improve but not to match Tampa's level, and the Saints just don't have much going for them in Kellen Moore's first stint as a head coach.

That leaves the Buccaneers as clear favorites, and of course, that is dependent on the injury bug staying away. Injuries ripped through both sides of the ball last season, and the franchise was lucky enough to survive it.

If the Buccaneers can get a clean run at it, expect them to win the division for a fifth straight time.

This article first appeared on Athlon Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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