12. Tennessee Titans
I'm not saying the Titans have looked like a future juggernaut, or anything, but we're seeing some nice strides from this team offensively late this season. The Titans have their franchise QB of the future in Cam Ward, who has made some big-time throws down the stretch this season. He's also had some bad whiffs, but the flashes are there and the Titans know they can build around this guy.
The development of players like Gunnar Helm, Chimere Dike, and Elic Ayomanor this season has been exciting for this fan base to watch.
11. Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins have been closing out the season rather strong, and it'll be fun to see what they do against the Patriots in Week 18. Especially with all of the distractions the Patriots are currently dealing with off the field. Bradley Chubb was playing like a man possessed with a $1 million incentive on the line this past week in a Dolphins victory, and he's got even more incentives on the line in Week 18.
With future jobs on the line, it wouldn't be shocking at all to see the Dolphins surprise the Patriots with effort and hustle. Mike McDaniel is auditioning for his job in Miami as well as potentially elsewhere if the Dolphins move on.
10. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals would have to be the AFC's top "what if" story of the year. If Joe Burrow is healthy all year, how far could this team have gone? In the AFC North the way it's looked this season, it's hard to imagine they wouldn't have been able to at least win that division.
Alas, we'll never know. Perhaps the Bengals and Cowboys can play each other in the "What If Bowl" after the season. All kidding aside, the Bengals aren't a factor but they are a team to watch going forward. The offseason ahead could be full of drama for this team.
9. Indianapolis Colts
Philip Rivers coming back in 2025 will go down as one of the craziest sports comeback stories of all time. Even though he hadn't played since the 2020 season, it was almost as if Rivers never left. He obviously didn't have quite enough to get the Colts back into the postseason, but you would be lying if you said what he did out there wasn't impressive. The Colts played these last handful of weeks exceptionally tough.
That story, however, is over. The Colts are expected to run it back with Daniel Jones, so we'll see how this team continues to build in the 2026 offseason.