NFC South’s Tampa Bay Buccaneers, Carolina Panthers, both catch Mark Eckel’s eye ahead of 2025 NFL campaign
Two years ago it was the Houston Texans, who went from the second worst team in the National Football League to AFC South champs and a playoff win. Last year it was the Washington Commanders who went from the second worst team in the NFL to a NFC wild-card team and a trip to the Conference Championship Game.
So what team will make the biggest improvement in 2025? Cleveland was the second worst team in the NFL a year ago, so will the Browns carry that trend?
Probably not.
But here are four teams that will be better than you think.
Carolina Panthers
Carolina finished 5-12 in 2024. The improvement the team showed over the second half of the season was tremendous and reason to believe 2025 will be a whole lot better for the Panthers. The team started last year 1-7 and quarterback Bryce Young, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft, was benched. After Young returned to the lineup the Panthers were a different team.
They went 4-5 over the final nine games and three of those losses were by less than a touchdown and two were to the two Super Bowl teams — Kansas City and Philadelphia. Carolina took the Chiefs down to the final seconds and lost, 30-27, on a field goal as time expired. The Panthers lost to the Eagles, 22-16, and it was a dropped pass in the final minutes that cost them the upset. To further show the improvement, Carolina beat New Orleans and Atlanta down the stretch two teams that beat them by a combined, 85-30, early in the year.
Look for Young to get better, the defense to gel and the Panthers to challenge for a wild-card spot.
New England Patriots
Football has not been kind to the Pats in the ABB (After Brady and Belichick) Era. Consecutive four-win seasons left the team searching for answers to questions they didn’t even know they had. Enter Mike Vrabel. The former New England linebacker and successful head coach for the Tennessee Titans is now in charge. He’ll bring back that mentality that was alive during the team’s dynasty and he also has a quarterback in second-year man Drake Maye that he never had with the Titans.
Free agency and the draft helped the team’s biggest weakness — the offensive line. And Vrabel should be a help to the defense. New/old offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels should help Maye’s progress and the Patriots should be second-best in the AFC East and could be in the hunt for a wild-card spot in the tough AFC.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa increased its streak of NFC South titles to four and its streak of playoff appearances to five last season. No other team in the NFC can boast of those accomplishments. Yet when the top teams in the conference are mentioned you seldom, if ever, hear Todd Bowles’ team mentioned. Bowles, oft-criticized, has done a remarkable job with the Bucs and the revitalization of quarterback Baker Mayfield should ran high on his resume.
Last season Tampa Bay was 4-6 at its bye week and then won six of their final seven games to win the division. Mayfield threw for 288 yards, or more, in five of those seven games. Every year a different team is supposed to unseat the Bucs in the South, but it never happens. It won’t this year, either.
Los Angeles Chargers
If you’re like me this team doesn’t belong on the list, because you already think the Chargers are really good. Most people don’t. Oh they think the Chargers are a playoff team, as they were last year, and probably one and done, as they were last year. So if that’s your thinking you could be surprised.
It’s time for somebody to unseat Andy Reid and Kansas City in the AFC West and Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers and are the team to do so.
Harbaugh turned the Chargers from bad to good in his first season, now he gets to go from good to great in his second season. Quarterback Justin Herbert has a lot to prove. The defense is solid. And first-round draft pick running back Omarion Hampton could be the Rookie of the Year.
Mark Eckel Joins the Sports Talk Team
Mark Eckel brings a legendary career to the Sports Talk family, with more than three decades of award-winning NFL coverage under his belt—most notably as the premier voice on the Philadelphia Eagles for 32 years. A seasoned reporter and storyteller, Mark’s work has appeared in Sports Illustrated, The Sporting News, The Trenton Times, and NJ.com, where he built a loyal following for his sharp insights and behind-the-scenes access.
In Philadelphia, Mark became a familiar voice and face across the sports media landscape, serving as a host on 94 WIP and a regular contributor to The Angelo Cataldi Morning Show. He also delivered pre- and post-game analysis on Fox 29 and NBC 10, providing fans with unmatched Eagles expertise.
He’s covered 11 Super Bowls, two World Series, two Stanley Cup Finals, and an NBA Finals, and authored four books, including the acclaimed It’s Gooooood! (Merrill Reese’s autobiography) and The Big 50: Men and Moments That Made the Philadelphia Eagles.
Now retired from the daily grind and living in North Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, Mark continues to fuel his passion as a freelance writer and podcaster with Packer Report—and we’re thrilled to have him covering the game he knows best, right here at Sports Talk.
