Last month we listed seven teams who made the playoffs in 2023 that could miss the postseason in 2024. Naturally, people got mad! No one likes being told their favorite team might not make the playoffs, but the math is pretty simple: On average the last three years (since the NFL expanded the playoffs to 14 teams) we see somewhere between six and seven different teams make the postseason each year.
Whether it’s injuries or variation in performance or just plain old random luck, the line is so fine between a playoff team and a non-playoff team we see massive shifts every single year.
With that in mind, let’s dive into some teams who might take a step forward and MAKE the playoffs after being on the outside looking in last year. You can find last year’s list right here — it featured some great calls (Texans, Lions) and some terrible ones (Falcons, Panthers 🤢) and one (the Jets) that got derailed by injury.
If I left your team out or you’re still mad about the other list, feel free to yell at me on Twitter @WillBrinson.
New York Jets
Speaking of those Jets, how can they not top this list? They finished last year 7-10, outperforming their expected win total of 5.8 fairly significantly. But they also went 4-5 in one-score games, and, quite obviously, did all of this without Aaron Rodgers, who tore his Achilles four snaps into the season. The underlying problem for Rodgers — aside from his age (turns 41 in December) — was the question marks up front on the Jets offensive line. New York went all in on addressing that problem this offseason, signing both Tyron Smith and Morgan Moses while investing a first-round pick in Olu Fashanu.
If the line holds up the offense could be really fun. Rodgers plus Breece Hall and Garrett Wilson — both solid double-digit looks for OPOY investments — equates to a very fun trio. The Jets’ other investments in the offense aren’t too shabby either:…
Source link : https://www.cbssports.com/nfl/news/2024-nfl-playoff-predictions-bears-jets-chargers-among-teams-who-could-make-jump-into-postseason-this-year/
Author : Will Brinson
Publish date : 2024-09-01 15:58:15
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