3 underrated AFC teams who can hang around playoff race in 2024 NFL Season

Pittsburgh Steelers

Now yes, the Pittsburgh Steelers did go 10-7 in 2023 and had bottom-5 QB play from Kenny Pickett, Mason Rudolph, and Mitchell Trubisky. Even Russell Wilson was a better QB than the Steelers trio in 2023, so you have to figure that the Steelers should be better, right? Well, yes, but their ceiling is much lower than most AFC teams.

They still don't have a quality enough QB and have a shaky offensive line at the moment. In 2023, they had a -20 point differential, and, according to Pro Football Reference, had an Expected W-L record of 8-9, meaning based on their points scored and allowed, played at a below .500 pace.

They were 7-7 at one point and ended the year with three-straight wins, and nine of their 10 wins were by one score. You have to assume that it'd be unlikely for them to have that kind of luck in 2024, right? The Steelers have still shown consistently during the Mike Tomlin era, as they have never finished with a losing record with him as the head coach.

You can expect them to hang around the playoff race in 2024 even with their lower ceiling.

Indianapolis Colts

The Indianapolis Colts almost won the AFC South in 2023 and won nine games with Gardner Minshew taking a majority of the snaps. They managed to finish with the 10th-best scoring offense and did have a bottom-5 scoring defense. Well, if second-year QB Anthony Richardson can make the jump and stay healthy, and their defense isn't bottom-5 again, what is the limt for this team?

Shane Steichen clearly knows how to coach a football team - that's for sure, so the Colts might not be a scary team at the moment, but in due time, they can surprise a lot of people. They have to be looked at as the second-best team in the AFC South and might find themselves wrapped in the AFC playoff race deep into the 2024 NFL Season.

There are only seven playoff spots in each conference, but there are more than seven playoff-caliber teams present heading into 2024.