Where things went wrong for NFL’s Less-than-Magnificent 7

Seven NFL teams that reached the playoffs a year ago that failed to get back in 2018. What went wrong and can it be fixed for 2019?

It’s really been the case year after year for quite some time now. But first things first. The New England Patriots are the outlier in today’s NFL. Their league record 10-straight playoff appearances dwarf the Kansas City Chiefs’ current streak of four consecutive years in the postseason. In fact, the only other teams that have been to the playoffs each of the last two years are the New Orleans Saints, Los Angeles Rams and Philadelphia Eagles.

This past year, the Chicago Bears were in the postseason for the first time since 2010. This after finishing last in the NFC North in each of the previous four seasons. The Los Angeles Chargers made their first playoff appearance since 2013. In 2017, the Eagles and Jacksonville Jaguars won division titles after finishing last the previous year. This past season, the Bears and Houston Texans turned the worst-to-first trick.

Conversely, there were a bunch of clubs that were in the 2017 playoffs that failed to return this past year. Three of those teams won division titles in 2017 and two of three squads came within one victory of reaching Super Bowl LII. Four of the clubs finished with losing records in 2018. Such is the fickle nature of today’s NFL.

All told, more than half (7) of the 2017 NFL playoff field failed to get back to the postseason one year later. Each had its own issues and each now looks to get back on track. Here’s a look at those teams, listed in alphabetical order…