Joe Burrow | Photo by David Eulitt/Getty Images
Joe Burrow is back and ready to make postseason again.
A great reality of the NFL is that last season often means nothing when it comes to the upcoming season.
Last year’s losers can easily become this year’s darlings. It happens every year. In the 2023 season, six of the 14 teams that made the postseason did not qualify in the previous season. Fans should expect about the same rate of playoff turnover in the 2024 NFL season.
With that in mind, we’re going to look at four teams that we think could easily go from being a 2023 failure to a 2024 playoff team. (We present in order of confidence.):
This is a really good team with a really good quarterback who is healthy. A returning Joe Burrow means the Bengals are a playoff team. The Bengals were 9-8 and on the cusp of making the postseason even though Burrow missed seven games with a wrist injury. They made some offseason moves to bolster both sides of the ball and have reinforced the offensive line. Yes, the AFC North is brutally tough, but the Bengals are serious contenders in both the division and in the AFC as a whole with a healthy QB.
We feel pretty good about this one, as well. The NFC South is likely the weakest division in the NFL and is wide open. The addition of quarterback Kirk Cousins in free agency could lift the Falcons over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as the team to beat. There are a lot of good vibes surrounding this team, too. New head coach Raheem Morris has his team’s respect and new offensive coordinator Zac Robinson has a lot of toys to play with. We’re going to assume Robinson will do a better job of utilizing running back Bijan Robinson than the previous staff did in his rookie year. Overall, there’s a lot to like about this team and the Falcons could easily flip their 2023 record of 7-10 to 10-7 and a division title.
Trevor Lawrence
Maybe I’m too high on Trevor Lawrence and Doug Pederson, but I think this is an ascending player-coach tandem in the league. There is a lot of ability on both sides of the ball. The added wide receiver Brian Thomas in the draft alongside center Mitch Morse and WR Gabe Davis in free agency to help Lawrence. I believe the Jaguars will be hungry and learn from their epic 2023 collapse in which the team that won a playoff game in 2022 lost five of their final six games to finish 9-8 and outside of the playoffs. Yes, the Houston Texans are a stout competitor in the division and the AFC is top heavy, but I could see the Jaguars figuring it out and getting back to their postseason form.
Full disclosure: I’m not sure if I’d bet on the Vikings making the playoffs, but I like their program. They have an underappreciated roster and they made some nice additions. Coach Kevin O’Connell has a firm grasp of his job and wide receiver Justin Jefferson is special and he is due for a healthy season. The key, of course, is at quarterback. First-round pick, quarterback J.J. McCarthy has reportedly been spotty in practice and if Sam Darnold is going to be the starter all season, a playoff push may be tough. But if McCarthy can figure it out quickly and produce, the Vikings could be postseason bound.
Here is the full list of teams that didn’t make the playoffs in 2023:
AFC
Cincinnati Bengals
Jacksonville Jaguars
Indianapolis Colts
Las Vegas Raiders
Denver Broncos
New York Jets
Tennessee Titans
Los Angeles Chargers
New England Patriots
NFC
Seattle Seahawks
New Orleans Saints
Minnesota Vikings
Chicago Bears
Atlanta Falcons
New York Giants
Washington Commanders
Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
