6 NFL teams that won't return to the playoffs in 2021

6 NFL teams that won’t return to the playoffs in 2021

By Randy Gurzi | May 17, 2021

NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA - JANUARY 17: Jameis Winston #2 of the New Orleans Saints throws a pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second quarter in the NFC Divisional Playoff game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 17, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

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NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 10: Brent Urban #92, John Jenkins #90, Mario Edwards #97, and Duke Shelley #20 of the Chicago Bears celebrate a fumble against the New Orleans Saints during the second quarter in the NFC Wild Card Playoff game at Mercedes Benz Superdome on January 10, 2021 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Chris Graythen/Getty Images) /

4. Chicago Bears

There was not just one NFC team in the playoffs without a winning record last season, but two. The Chicago Bears were the final Wild Card team and they made it with an 8-8 record overall. They also had a tumultuous season full of incredible swings — both high and low.

Chicago struggled to figure out who should start between Mitch Trubisky and Nick Foles and in the end, Foles made the decision for them when he was injured. They started to win more with Trubisky, going 6-3 with him compared to 2-5 with Foles — but now, they have moved on from the former first-round pick.

Trubisky moved to Buffalo to back up Josh Allen and the Bears took Justin Fields in the first round. The Ohio State product should start as a rookie but with the way Chicago has run things in recent years, there’s a high probability that they’ll go with free-agent addition Andy Dalton to start the season.

The narrative that a veteran has to start has been disproven time and again but several stubborn NFL teams and coaches keep trying to keep the youngsters on the bench. Should Chicago do this, it will start them out on the wrong foot and eliminate just about any chance they have of making it to the playoffs again.

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