February 12, 2025

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2021 NFL Playoffs: These Teams Could End Their Postseason Droughts This Year

The league brass wants the NFL playoffs to be obtainable. Via 2019, only 6 of the 16 teams in every convention built the subject, and that gave the NFL a lessen charge of playoff participation than a couple of peer leagues (the NHL and NBA) though preserving it just a hair ahead of Main League Baseball. So in 2020, the NFL added a seventh playoff staff for each and every convention, which not only developed extra playoff games but also stored more teams in the race until finally later on in the yr. That experienced the snowball influence of producing more significant regular-time contests, too.

 

 

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In principle, the modify must also final result in less groups getting extensive droughts involving appearances in the NFL playoffs. For the second, eight teams—a quarter of the league—are mired in slumps of four seasons or for a longer time devoid of a playoff look. The New York Jets have a 10-calendar year drought. The Arizona Cardinals and Cincinnati Bengals have missed the postseason five many years in a row. And the Las Vegas Raiders, Miami Dolphins, New York Giants, and Detroit Lions are all sitting on four-yr absences from the playoffs.

Which of those people skids have the best chance of ending in 2021? And which are liable to very last a though lengthier? Here’s a nearer search at these teams, and an evaluation of how hopeful their enthusiasts must be.

It’s Not Hunting Good

These groups must keep on to be between the league’s worst, at the very least for 2021. They are staring down long rebuilds and/or do not have the vital items in place to contend however.

New York Giants: Quarterback Daniel Jones was a bizarre variety when the Giants took him seventh all round in the 2019 draft. It doesn’t glimpse any better now that Jones has performed two decades and positioned 34th in the league in modified go yards per try about that timespan. It’s not likely he’ll get the Giants back again to competition. However the team had a wonderful 2021 draft, they will not actually amount up until eventually another person better than Jones is throwing the ball.

Detroit Lions: The Lions are the greatest bet to be the worst crew in the NFL this yr. Right after failing to get with gifted quarterback Matthew Stafford, the business experienced the mercy to trade him to the Los Angeles Rams for the underachieving and minimal Jared Goff. Being so terrible for so prolonged has allowed the Lions to increase some higher-end talent in recent drafts, like offensive tackle Penei Sewell this spring. But as with the Giants, things won’t actually rev up right up until a person else is taking part in QB—or at the very least right up until they’ve surrounded Goff with as substantially talent as the Rams did. You can make the NFL playoffs with Goff, but that demands a big work from everybody else on the roster.

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Dangle Tight a Very little More time

New York Jets: There’s some hope on the horizon for the workforce with the longest postseason drought in the league. The Jets drafted BYU QB Zach Wilson seventh general in April, and there’s a very good prospect he’ll be the dude to deliver the staff back to the NFL playoffs (at some point). He also has some proficient receivers at his disposal, and still left deal with Mekhi Becton is a present-and-upcoming star.

But the Jets’ protection, in particular in the secondary, will have a good deal of troubles stopping other groups. Toss in some anticipated growing pains for Wilson, and the Jets are however probable to be actually lousy this year. But they need to at the very least be enjoyment to watch, and superior times are coming.

Cincinnati Bengals: Some pieces are in spot for Cincinnati. QB Joe Burrow, the top pick in 2020’s draft, should make beneficial strides as lengthy as he’s recovered from an ACL tear and other knee hurt endured late final season. Burrow also has a few superior-upside receivers in veteran Tyler Boyd, 2nd-year gentleman Tee Higgins, and Burrow’s previous LSU teammate Ja’Marr Chase.

So why temper expectations? For 1 matter, the offensive line is very likely to be well underneath common. For yet another, the defense struggled very last yr and then misplaced edge rusher Carl Lawson in free company. The Bengals most likely will need a small far more time in advance of generating a playoff run.

Denver Broncos: The Broncos never have a ideal QB. 2019 next-spherical select Drew Lock was arguably the worst QB in the NFL in 2020, especially if you look at the figures. Superior stats like believed points added for each engage in and completion proportion about expectation (you can obtain people stats right here) paint a obvious photograph of Lock: He is not up to snuff.

But the Broncos aren’t hopeless: Their protection need to be quite strong. They have just one of the league’s best cornerbacks in Bryce Callahan, and their essential franchise participant, outside linebacker Von Miller, will return this year following he missed 2020 with a dislocated tendon in his ankle.

A Battling Prospect

Las Vegas Raiders: The Raiders’ offensive line in all probability will not be good, but other than that, there’s a good deal to like about Jon Gruden’s crew. QB Derek Carr is not a entire world-beater, but he’s a single of the improved passers in the league. Other offensive highlights contain a couple of proficient running backs, a person of the league’s most effective restricted ends in Darren Waller, and a sneaky-thrilling receiver corps led by 2020 very first-round draftee Henry Ruggs III.

The defense should get useful go-hurrying help from no cost agent signee Yannick Ngakoue, and the defensive entrance has a few other big skills, such as Maxx Crosby and Clelin Ferell. If the secondary holds up—which it could possibly, particularly if rookie safety Trevon Moehrig plays well—Vegas could make the playoffs.

The Time to Contend is Now

Miami Dolphins: The Dolphins have a person of the better pass defenses in professional soccer, highlighted by the wonderful cornerback pairing of Xavien Howard and Byron Jones. Howard might effectively be on the way out, but the secondary nonetheless has enough items to defend the go nicely. Their defensive line and linebacker groups require to get a lot improved, and they could possibly, because some wounded players will return to these positions and the Dolphins also drafted a powerful edge rusher in Jaelan Phillips, who performed very last period at the College of Miami.

But so considerably of Miami’s accomplishment or failure will arrive down to Tua Tagovailoa, the previous Alabama star who struggled as a rookie QB in 2020. If Tagovailoa places it collectively, the Dolphins should make the NFL playoffs. If he does not, they will not, and it’ll be on head coach Brian Flores to discover an additional selection.

Arizona Cardinals: QB Kyler Murray, the 2019 draft’s initial overall choose, received a small better in his next year on the career in just about each individual statistical classification. He even designed the Pro Bowl. But he has not nonetheless had a breakout time to set up himself as just one of the league’s very best QBs, and if a single is coming, it should take place proper about now. It’s Murray’s third 12 months less than head mentor Kliff Kingsbury and his second 12 months throwing to the most effective receiver in the NFL, DeAndre Hopkins.

It is also time for the Cardinals to degree up on protection. The final two yrs, they drafted two of the most multipurpose linebackers to ever enter the league—Clemson’s Isaiah Simmons and Tulsa’s Zaven Collins. If they are very good, and if new defensive line pickup J.J. Watt performs anything at all like his outdated self, then the protection should really give Murray some margin for error.

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