20. Arizona Cardinals (7-8)
The Arizona Cardinals were 6-4 at one point in the 2024 NFL Season and are now 7-8 after their latest loss. It was a horrible, no good overtime loss against the Carolina Panthers. The Cardinals are now eliminated from playoff contention. They felt like one of the breakout teams in the NFL this year, but this recent collapse over the last month has to be so frustrating for the fanbase and for the team.
Now let’s have some perspective here; the Cardinals have nearly doubled their win total from 2023, and this team was not going to be a contender in 2024 or even make the playoffs this year. GM Monti Ossenfort does need another offseason to bring in some more talent on this roster. Once he does that, the Cards would end up being much more formidable.
However, this loss in Week 16 was awful - and there isn’t any reason to beat around the bush there. It’s now on to the 2025 NFL Draft for Arizona. They could have a prolific offseason ahead of them.
19. Indianapolis Colts (7-8)
With a win here in Week 16 over the Tennessee Titans, the Indianapolis Colts have stayed alive in the AFC playoff race. This was an interesting game where the Colts got out to a huge lead, and it seemed like this was going to be a blowout, but the Titans battled back and made it a 38-30 contest by the time the clock showed zeroes.
The Colts are not a good football team if you ask me; their defense is nothing special and they have a bottom-5 starting QB in the NFL at the moment. I am not sure the NFL needs to see the Colts in a playoff game. Second-year QB Anthony Richardson has been horrific in the early stages of his NFL career, but it does seem like he is going to get a third season to try and develop into a franchise passer.
The Colts went 9-8 last year with former QB Gardner Minshew taking most of the snaps. They may again finish with nine wins and again not make the playoffs. This team could enact some changes in the front office in 2025 and beyond if they fail to get into the postseason, as the Chris Ballard era has been a massive failure if you ask me. Barely beating a bad Titans' team is not a good look.