There’s a popular saying in the NFL that every year, you get six “old” teams and six “new” teams in the playoffs. It’s not an exact number by any means, but we can’t deny the fact that it applies regularly. Every year we have surprising teams that sneak in the playoffs, when nobody thought they would go that far.
2017 shouldn’t be any different. So with that in mind, here we have three teams that could reach the playoffs in the AFC after missing out last year.
Tennessee Titans
The Houston Texans are the favorites in the AFC South, but the division is tight. Even though most consider this one of the weakest divisions in the NFL, there’s parity. After all, it has three clear candidates, and a franchise that is on the rise. Between the candidates we have the Texans, the Indianapolis Colts, and the Tennessee Titans. Most believe either the Colts or Texans will come out on top. However, the smart money should be on the Titans.
They have an experienced quarterback in Marcus Mariota. Their running game was stellar last year – and it should be even better in 2017 with Derrick Henry having a full season under his belt. The defense is clearly the best in the division. And they addressed most of their weakenesses in the Draft and free agency. Tennessee remained in contention until the final weeks last season, and they will take a quality jump this year to reach the postseason for the first time since 2008.
Denver Broncos
The Broncos have a tough road to return to the postseason. After winning the 2015 Super Bowl, they missed the postseason last year thanks to the presence of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders. And while both teams look improved ahead of 2017, so are the Broncos.
Their defense remains one of the best units in football. They will have an improved version at QB – either Trevor Siemian or Paxton Lynch will have a full NFL season under their belts. And their running game should have a huge boost with the presence of a proven veteran such as Jamaal Charles. With all the problems they had last year, Denver still finished with a 9-7 mark. They should reach 10 or 11 wins easily, and the Chiefs are likely to regress. A division title might not be possible, but the Broncos should do well enough to sneak into the playoffs with a Wild Card berth.
Cincinnati Bengals
Few teams had a tougher luck than the Cincinnati Bengals last year. Injuries, performance problems, and mistakes on crunch time forced the Bengals to finish with a 6-9-1 record. But that should change this year. And the Bengals are likely to make a playoff run that should keep them in contention throughout the entire season.
Andy Dalton regressed last year, but he should be in line for a bounce-back season. A.J. Green shouldn’t miss as many games as he did in 2016. But most importantly, the team looks quite improved. The arrival of two rookies on offense – John Ross and Joe Mixon – should give the offense the boost it needs. They will have a tough road to make it to the Wild Card round due to the presence of the Baltimore Ravens, but Cincinnati should make the postseason after his last appearance was in 2015. After all, Dalton and Marvin Lewis are on the hot seat. And another disappointing season could mean the end of an era in Cincy.