There are a handful of teams thus far in the 2024 NFL Season who are hurdling toward "breakout" status. Let's cover them here. Usually in a given NFL season, there is at least one breakout team that surprises the league. In 2023, the Houston Texans slid into that category.
Well, thus far in the 2024 NFL Season, there are three teams who could be headed to this breakout tier, which bodes well for their long-term future in the NFL. We're still only about halfway through the season, so a lot could change, but these three teams are emerging as breakout candidates in 2024.
3 early breakout teams approaching Week 8 of the 2024 NFL Season
Denver Broncos (4-3)
How about the Denver Broncos? This team was projected by many to win four games all year, and I even saw places project Denver to win fewer than few games, but the Broncos are now on the doorstep of winning their fifth game across their first eight. They host the Carolina Panthers in Week 8, and unless something major happens, Denver will end up at 5-3 when Week 8 closes out.
The Broncos have ridden the best defense in the NFL and an emerging running game to their 4-3 start. They're also strong in the trenches, which is shaping up to be a perfect formula for rookie QB Bo Nix and his development.
Denver also sits in a playoff spot in the weaker AFC, which may be even more of a shock to people. With a very good coaching staff and solid trench play, the Broncos can sustain what they have startd in 2024.
Washington Commanders (5-2)
I'll admit that I was way off on the Washington Commanders. I just did not see much going for them coming into the season, but here they are. They're 5-2 on the season and lead the NFC East under Dan Quinn, who is in his first year as the Commanders' head coach.
And oh yeah, that Jayden Daniels kid is also pretty good. The Commanders face the Chicago Bears in Week 8, and it's not super clear if Daniels is going to play, as he is dealing with ribs injuries, but the Commanders are very much in the driver's seat to win the division and are emerging as a breakout team in the 2024 NFL Season.
Chicago Bears (4-2)
The Chicago Bears went 7-10 in the 2023 NFL Season with bottom-7 QB play from Justin Fields. The team's defense did figure themselves out down the stretch, which was a huge reason for them being able to win seven games. Well, as we approach Week 8 of the 2024 NFL Season, the Bears are already sniffing their 2023 win total.
Rookie QB Caleb Williams has really settled into his own over the last few weeks and is proving to the entire NFL world why he was the right selection. The Bears' defense is also playing out of their mind, which tells me, at least, that head coach Matt Eberflus indeed knows what he's doing. Like any other head coach, he needed his GM to acquire a franchise QB somehow.
The Bears feel like a team that could earn a Wild Card seed in the 2024 NFL playoffs, as they're in the NFC North, so it's not likely they'll be able to win the division this year, but Chicago is very much trending in the right direction.