The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are in an interesting situation going into 2025. They defeated both the Detroit Lions and Philadelphia Eagles (the top two seeds in the NFC) last season, but finished just 10-7.
Their wild card loss to the Washington Commanders have some wondering Tampa Bay's run of dominance as an NFC contender is coming to an end.
Even if the Buccaneers themselves don't believe that.
Tampa Bay has won the last four division titles in the NFC South, and are favorites to win a fifth-straight year. With plenty of intriguing matchups coming up in 2025, though, plenty of analysts have debated the most important on the year.
NFL.com writer Bucky Brooks has a different opinion on what could be Tampa's toughest opponent.
In his mind, it's the Arizona Cardinals.
"This duel between a couple of former No. 1 overall picks features enough of a Hollywood storyline to be worthy of a more prominent time slot than 1 p.m. on Sunday," Brooks said. "Mayfield takes on his former Oklahoma teammate and fellow Heisman Trophy winner in a battle of undersized quarterbacks leading dark-horse contenders.
"Diminutive passers are no longer dismissed in the NFL, and this NFC clash will provide executives and scouts with another opportunity to appreciate the ways playmakers of all sizes can get it done in today's game."
Arizona has improved their win total in each season under Jonathan Gannon as head coach, but they need to finally make a push for the postseason. With a strong rushing attack, an improved defense, and a quality quarterback, the Cardinals are a dark horse candidate to win the NFC West.
And even fight among teams like the Buccaneers for seeding come playoff time.