Often, when two teams are fighting for a division title, both of them have the same amount of pressure on them, but that’s not the case in the NFC South.

For instance, the AFC North race between the Pittsburgh Steelers (7-6 as of Dec. 15) and the Baltimore Ravens (7-7) is a battle of two squads in similar situations.

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The Steelers won their last Super Bowl almost 17 years ago.

The Ravens won theirs almost 13 years ago. For more than a decade, each franchise has enjoyed considerable regular-season success, but both have become known for falling short in the postseason.

If Baltimore misses the playoffs, calls for the franchise to move on from longtime coach John Harbaugh will get louder, and the same could be said for longtime Steelers coach Mike Tomlin.

Now, in the NFC South, where both the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Carolina Panthers sit at 7-7, there will be serious questions about Todd Bowles’ future if the Bucs don’t win the division.

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In Carolina, there’s a good chance Dave Canales is near the top of the Coach of the Year voting even if the Panthers don’t make the postseason.

BetMGM had Carolina’s projected win total at 6.5 before the season, so the fact that the Panthers have won seven games with three left suggests that this year is already a success.

Canales isn’t on the hot seat, but although Bowles says he isn’t concerned, it’s fair to wonder what Bowles’ future might be if this season doesn’t end well.

“I don’t think I worry at all,” Bowles said Thursday night. “It doesn’t creep into the locker room. Players play and coaches coach. I have more years behind me than I do ahead of me. I think we’re in a situation where we’re right back in it, and our only focus is on winning a ball game.”

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But it’s hard to ignore the possibility.

“The first thing I thought [after Atlanta won]: ‘Todd Bowles, Hot Seat,’” NBC’s Mike Florio said Thursday night after the Bucs’ embarrassing collapse against the Falcons at home. “Got to be. Got to be.”

Florio went on to say he was merely informing the fans of a worst-case scenario in Tampa Bay should Bowles be let go if the South goes further South.

“This is the way it goes. This isn’t we’re trying to upend someone’s life. This is, we know how this works, and we’re trying to get ahead of what’s coming,” Florio said. “This is part of our obligation to get you ready for it, so you don’t say, ‘Oh, damn,’ when it happens. And there’s no reason to be surprised when it happens, because it happens.”