According to ESPN, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers are the ninth-best team in the NFC.

In 2025, the Bucs faltered badly down the stretch, finishing the season at 8-9. Tampa lost the tiebreaker to the Carolina Panthers, who also went 8-9, and missed the playoffs entirely. The Bucs were the definition of an average team, and ESPN expects them to remain the same in 2026.

In its 2026 Football Power Index, ESPN ranks the Bucs 18th out of 32 NFL teams. According to ESPN, the rankings are "primarily based on win totals from the betting market in conjunction with each team's schedule." Other factors, like a team's backup quarterback and kicker, are also included.

Using its formula, ESPN then runs thousands of simulations for the upcoming season, using the results to make projections.

The Bucs are the NFC's ninth-ranked team in the PFI. Only the Detroit Lions at eighth, and the Dallas Cowboys, who ranked 11th, are ranked higher than the Bucs among NFC teams that didn't reach the postseason last year.

While being ranked ninth in the conference is certainly nothing to brag about, Tampa is ESPN's highest-ranked team from the NFC South. The reigning divisional champion Panthers are only 26th. Right in front of Carolina are the New Orleans Saints at 25 and the Atlanta Falcons at 24.

Clearly, ESPN views the Bucs as the class of their division in 2026, even after last season's disappointment. It is interesting to see Tampa's three division rivals ranked in consecutive spots. Also interesting is that the Panthers are the lowest-ranked team in the NFC South after winning the division only a season ago. ESPN doesn't believe Carolina is a team on the rise, despite its playoff appearance, and reports the team enjoyed a terrific offseason.

Although the Bucs made several high-profile upgrades this offseason, especially on defense, it's hard to argue that ESPN didn't rank Tampa fairly. Only two non-playoff teams from the NFC ranked higher, and the Bucs are the top team from their own division.

It's fair to question the Cowboys' ranking. Although they have plenty of talent, Dallas is consistently a team that doesn't perform to its own hype. The Philadelphia Eagles, at 10th, may be due for a decline after trading superstar wide receiver A.J. Brown.

Rankings like this usually are proven to be pointless. There will undoubtedly be teams who pleasantly surprised, and other who fall flat, in 2026.

The only that really matters for the Bucs is finishing above the Panthers, Saints, and Falcons. On paper, Tampa clearly looks like the best team in the NFC South.

At least ESPN's FPI rankings got that right.

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