Panthers Get Majorly Disrespected in Latest Playoff Predictions

Originally posted on Athlon Sports | By Bryce Lazenby | Last updated Sep 4, 2026 12:37 PM ET

The Carolina Panthers surprised some people in 2025 by winning the NFC South.

Over the first half of last season, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers looked unstoppable. Meanwhile, the Panthers just looked mediocre, and the rest of the NFC South was bad. However, the Bucs ended up suffering an epic collapse while the Panthers kept finding ways to win close games.

As a result, the Panthers stole the division away in the final week and got to host a playoff game. This offseason, the team kept most of its core together and added a couple of impressive veterans. One would think this would make the Panthers preseason favorites in the NFC South, but that has not been the case.

In fact, a mind-boggling prediction was recently released that should be bulletin board material for the Panthers.

Panthers Predicted to Finish Behind Bucs, Saints

Bob Donnan-Imagn Images

The analysts at NFL.com recently predicted how the 2026 season will shake out. The 19 analysts each voted for who they think will win each division and who will end up with the Wild Card spots.

When it came to the NFC South, the results were shocking. Of the 19 analysts, 17 picked the Bucs to win the division, while the remaining two picked the Saints. Not one person picked the Panthers to repeat, and nobody picked the Panthers to be a Wild Card team either.

This is baffling. The Panthers are the defending champs and had the best offseason of any NFC South team. How is that not enough to get at least a few votes to win the division?

The belief in the Bucs is confusing as well. This is the same head coach and quarterback combination that went 2-7 over their final nine games last season, and they also lost their best weapon in Mike Evans. What is the reason for expecting this team to be that much improved from one season to the next?

Yes, the Panthers do have a very tough schedule. The thing is that the Bucs schedule is almost just as hard. The Panthers have the third toughest schedule while the Bucs have the eighth toughest.

As long as the Panthers take care of their divisional opponents, they will be in a good spot come January. If Bryce Young performs at least as good as he did in 2025, then, with an improved defense as well, this team could vault itself into contention status.

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

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