NFL season 2021: 5 playoffs teams that miss this year
Which NFL teams will miss the 2021 playoffs after making it last year? We look at five potential candidates.
5. Indianapolis Colts
We’ll start with the Colts. While the roster is good and the coaching staff is largely excellent, there are some reasons to fade Indy. For opening, Carson Wentz had an argument in 2020 for the worst starting quarterback in the league. Does he find his new life under head coach Frank Reich, who was his offensive coordinator in Philadelphia? Who knows. Also, the loss of offensive coordinator Nick Sirianni is a potentially big blow.
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4. Washington Football Team
Washington has to be on the list for a few reasons. One, the team is trotting out Ryan Fitzpatrick at quarterback in a division that sees Dak Prescott returning for the Dallas Cowboys. Two, speaking of the division, the NFC East almost has to be better if we believe in the law of averages. The Football Team got better this offseason, but Fitzpatrick is a huge concern and the other foes should have improved some.
3. Chicago Bears
When does Justin Fields start, and assuming he will at some point in the 2021 season, how good is he? The Bears finished 8-8 last year and got into the postseason before being hammered at the Superdome by the New Orleans Saints. The roster doesn’t appear much better (if at all) than it was in that game, and there’s a possibility we see Andy Dalton play a majority of the games this season in the Windy City. Not a great recipe for getting back to the playoffs.
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2. Pittsburgh Steelers
It’s hard to see an easy road to January for the Steelers. After starting out 11-0 last year, Pittsburgh completely cratered and went 1-4 before being blown out by the Cleveland Browns. Now, the Steelers are without a litany of players who left in NFL free agency, and are hoping 38-year-old quarterback Ben Roethlisberger can find a way to keep things rolling. After watching Roethlisberger lat year, it’s hard to see it happening, especially in a division with the Browns and Baltimore Ravens.
1. New Orleans Saints
This is the clear choice for No. 1 on the list. New Orleans is without Drew Brees and is attempting to replace him with the duo of Taysom Hill and Jameis Winston. With all due respect to the Saints, that’s a tall order considering the division also includes the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Oh, and New Orleans is going to be playing a first-place schedule.
