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6 NFL teams that won’t return to the playoffs in 2023

By Sayre Bedinger

ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 15: Head coach Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins reacts during the second half of the game against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card playoff game at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images)
ORCHARD PARK, NEW YORK - JANUARY 15: Head coach Mike McDaniel of the Miami Dolphins reacts during the second half of the game against the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Wild Card playoff game at Highmark Stadium on January 15, 2023 in Orchard Park, New York. (Photo by Bryan M. Bennett/Getty Images) /
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Green Bay Packers defensive end Dean Lowry (94) pressures Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) during the first quarter of their game Sunday, September 11, 2022 at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minn.Mjs Packers11 31 Jpg Packers11 114211850 /

NFL team not returning to the playoffs in 2023: Vikings

Alright, back to the NFC.

Sorry, Vikings fans. Your team is not going back to the playoffs in 2023. The Vikings, simply and honestly put, were the luckiest team in the entire NFL in 2022. And yes, sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good.

The Vikings were a staggering 11-0 in one-score games throughout the 2022 season, virtually unprecedented success in such games. To even have that many one-score games throughout the course of a regular season is bizarre, but to win them all? Well, there’s no question that Kevin O’Connell was a coach of the year candidate. How can you not be when nobody can figure out how your team keeps pulling off these cardiac comebacks?

The Vikings are not a bad team, nor are they poorly constructed overall or anything. I think they are a solid 8-9 win team, but are they a playoff team? Well, with Aaron Rodgers out of the picture in the NFC North, the path is certainly a bit clearer. The NFC North has got to be one of the most ‘winnable’ divisions in the league, and the Vikings should be proud of winning 13 games a season ago.

But the team’s playoff loss at home to the Giants last season can serve as a bit of a sign of things to come in 2023: A regression to the mean. I mentioned that the Vikings were 11-0 in one-score games last season. Well, that was during the regular season. The only one-score game they lost in 2022 happened to be that playoff game against the Giants, a game in which the Vikings surrendered a staggering 28 first downs to the Giants and over 430 yards of total offense.

The Vikings scored 424 points last year and gave up 427. Their defense surrendered over 6,600 yards of total offense, 31st in the NFL.

Again, this team was luckier than it was good in 2023.

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