The Atlanta Falcons have been a middle-of-the road team in each of the last two seasons, but unlike last season, they finally have a clear vision in place under their new regime. Just like it always is, the NFC South is right back up for grabs as there's again no obvious frontrunner for the division crown.
Ian Cunningham and Kevin Stefanski are inheriting a pretty talented Falcons' roster that can do some immediate damage in a weak division, especially if Michael Penix Jr. responds adequately from his season-ending injury. But the problem with the NFC South is that all four teams are threats to win it.
The Saints are building a solid young roster around franchise quarterback Tyler Shough, the Panthers just won the division even though Bryce Young is painfully average, and the Bucs probably have the best roster top-to-bottom in the entire division, but they're looking like a total dumpster fire right now.
While every team in the division has some youg talent, the situation in Tampa Bay isn't as favorable Todd Bowles is hanging on for dear life and the Bucs' new offensive coordinator is Zac Robinson. In hopes of trying to save their head coach's job, they're turning to a failed Falcons' play-caller. Yikes.
Dysfunction in Tampa Bay is opening the door for the Falcons to make noise again in the NFC South
It's shocking that Bowles hasn't been fired yet, especially since both Dave Canales and Liam Coen have both become successful head coaches since working with him. That's a solid OC track record, but a guy who was forcing Penix to run the pistol formation won't be the answer to their prayers.
Robinson accomplished more with Kirk Cousins starting at QB than with Penix, which is sad given the Washington product was the QB he helped draft. It can't get much worse than Josh Grizzard for them, but that won't matter if Bowles continues to refuse to make changes, but it's a win for the Falcons.
He lucked out inheriting a roster Bruce Arians won a Super Bowl with in Tampa Bay, especially since he was a pretty average head coach while coaching the Jets. Since then, this roster has consistently been an early playoff exit, yet they have too much talent to become a doormat for the rest of the NFC.
The Buccaneers have some solid weapons on offense, but Baker Mayfield is too volatile to ever lead his team to a Super Bowl. The Bucs could kick the tires on moving one of Chris Godwin or Mike Evans this offseason, but given Bowles is a defensive-minded coach, they badly need to fortify the defense.
They dealt with some brutal injuries to some key players in 2025, but that doesn't matter. They jumped out to a 5-1 start this season, yet lost seven of their final nine games to miss the playoffs. I'm no rocket scientist, but to me, this seems like more of a coaching staff problem than anything else.
At least Arthur Blank knew Morris was a sinking ship, and cut him loose. Bowles only hired their new OC because of his success against them, which feels like it'll inevitably end in disaster, but Falcons fans can laugh since they know exactly what to expect and it can be their path back to the top.