The Carolina Pantherrs won the NFC South for the first time in a decade last year. The New Orleans Saints are looking to end a drought of their own. CBS Sports' Tyler Sullivan took the time to division winners by most likely to least likely to repeat. The Panthers found themselves as the second least divisional champ to repeat. That leaves the door wide open for the Saints.
It should come as no surprise that Carolina was high on the list. If anything, it was a surprise the Panthers weren't the least likely candidate to repeate. That unfortunate honor was bestowed upon the Pittsburgh Steelers. The expected rebound from the Baltimore Ravens and Cincinatti Bengals make it hard to see the Steelers having that level of success again.
While Sullivan doubted the Steelers based on who they'll have to play, his questions about the Panthers' odds of repeating were solely based on the Panthers themselves. Sullivan isn't a Bryce Young believer and thinks Carolina could finish 2026 with the division's worst quarterback situation.
NFC South is wide open for the Saints (or anyone) to grab
The thing about the NFC South is it's so condensed. The reason the Panthers are projected as an unlikely candidate to repeat is the same reason the Saints are a common pick to go from worst to first. There's no clear cut leader, but it's also not a team that's clearly out of the race. It also wouldn't be shocking anyone
It certainly wasn't the best division a year ago, however, it was still highly competitive. The latter should remain true, but there's reason to believe the Panthers and Saints will continue the growth we saw a year ago.
For the Saints, the division being for the taking is a part of why expectations are where they are entering the season. A divisional title doesn't feel like a stretch due to divisional strength and improvements to the team.
It wouldn't matter if the division was weak if the Saints didn't take those steps forward. The mix of young talent and veteran acquisitions give the Saints long term upside while also raising the ceiling of immediate impact.
That's a dangerous combination. The Saints have the talent to be much better in 2026, and it may not take too much improvement to be in the title race in 2026. It's a small step, but the Saints haven't held the NFC South crown since 2020. This would be a great sign of progress for the young team. The best part is it's completely doable.
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