Despite not winning the NFC South since the 2020 season, the New Orleans Saints are a lot of people's picks to win the division crown in 2026. Tampa Bay Buccaneers fans have heard all of the noise this offseason and that's going to make it even sweeter when the Saints hopefully fall short.
The latest NFL writer to hand the division to the Saints is Ben Solak of ESPN, who listed New Orleans winning the NFC South in his latest write-up of predictions for the upcoming season. This isn't anything that Bucs fans haven't heard before but it's still annoying that a team that has floundered more often than not in recent years is getting propped up more than Tampa, a successful organization since the 2020s kicked off.
Buccaneers fans tired of Saints hype ahead of 2026 season
What is it about the Saints that Solak liked enough to pick them as the division winners? He mentioned how their defense under Brandon Staley performed well in the back half of the season and also pointed to the performance of then-rookie quarterback Tyler Shough.
What really put the Saints on Solak's map, however, was the additions they made in their rushing attack. Solak discussed how the Saints signed Travis Etienne to carry the rock and offensive guard David Edwards to help pave the way for him and those signings are going to make a world of difference in the backfield.
"The Saints look like an ascendant team to me. They have a young quarterback good enough to win with, sharp coaches on both sides of the ball, good offensive line play and enough young bets at the skill positions for this offense to be more than just Olave. They're a few blue-chip players away from true contention, but in the measly NFC South with a fourth-place schedule? A divisional title is achievable."
On the one hand, it's not hard to see why the Saints are an appealing team to outsiders. They haven't been good in a handful of years and Shough has been their best quarterback since the Bucs sent Drew Brees straight into retirement.
On the other hand, the Buccaneers have been the kings of the division more often than not in recent years. Last year was a slip-up by the good guys but even then, they barely missed out on wearing the NFC South crown for the fifth straight year. They should be given the benefit of the doubt to get back into first place in the division but that'll make it even better when Tampa does claw its way back to the top of the NFC South, especially against the overhyped Saints.
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