Few teams in the NFL have controlled their division quite like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC South over the last half-decade.
Tampa Bay has won the NFC South for four straight seasons. The one year they did not (2020), they were able to win the Super Bowl courtesy of Tom Brady's heroics in the postseason.
While the Buccaneers' success in the NFC South should be celebrated, there is another way to look at their dominance. …
The rest of the division stinks.
The Atlanta Falcons and Carolina Panthers haven't been close to a playoff berth in recent years. Even the New Orleans Saints - the last team to have won the division over Tampa Bay - is seemingly entering a rebuild.
That is why Pro Football Focus recently ranked the NFC South sixth out of the NFL’s eight divisions.
“The Buccaneers have claimed the NFC South crown in four straight seasons, matching the Saints’ longest run since the division’s inception in 2002," PFF wrote. "Despite losing offensive coordinator Liam Coen, Tampa Bay brings back much of its core and projects once again as the division favorite, hovering around a 10-win expectation.”
Carolina and Atlanta are expected to be better in 2025. Does that mean they'll be able to compete with the Buccaneers for NFC South supremacy?
Probably not. Tampa Bay has an elite offense and a defense that is healthy for the first time in years. Their divisional dominance shouldn't be going away anytime soon.
And it will only highlight the weaknesses of the rest of the division more.