Panthers, NFC South rivals make up NFL's worst division, insider claims

In 2024, the NFC South was a pretty bad division once again. It's been one of the NFL's worst for the last few years, even putting a division champion into the playoffs with a record below .500, a dubious mark that so few divisions have ever earned.

Unfortunately, despite some improvements for teams like the Carolina Panthers and Atlanta Falcons, the division is still not very good. In fact, Bleacher Report's Brad Gagnon ranked it as the worst division in football heading into 2025.

Panthers division gets unholy mark

Last year, the NFC South went a combined 28-40, thanks in no small part to the Carolina Panthers and New Orleans Saints combining for 10 wins. They were outscored collectively by 170 points and only had one playoff team that lost in the Wild Card Round.

Gagnon did note that there were some potential improvements. "Atlanta could take a leap if Michael Penix Jr. can take off, as could Carolina if Bryce Young finally puts it all together. Both are big 'ifs,' though," he said.

But some teams have gotten worse. "The Buccaneers are old and have probably peaked as a slightly-better-than-average team in recent years, and age could get the better of them soon," Gagnon added. "The Saints are officially in a rebuild with a void at quarterback following a five-win campaign. "

The bottom line is that the Falcons have the highest ceiling, Gagnon argued, but they're still very flawed, and potential isn't enough to save the division from this dismal ranking. And even if the Falcons and Panthers do improve, it's possible that the Saints are bad enough that the division remains the NFL's worst.

- Enjoy more free Panthers coverage with Carolina Panthers on SI -

Cam Newton nails list of NFL’s top 10 quarterbacks going into 2025

Why Cam Newton snubbed Jalen Hurts from his top-10 NFL QB list

Panthers rookie WR shares goals with Shannon Sharpe, Ochocinco

NFL analyst’s poor ranking of Bryce Young defies his own criteria