There were undoubtedly a handful of teams that were surprising in a good way this past year in the NFL. The Houston Texans went from worst to first and not only that, but they are making some noise in the postseason now as well. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers were expected to take a huge step back after the retirement of quarterback Tom Brady, but Baker Mayfield led them to the second round of the playoffs.
On the other hand, there were a lot of teams in the NFL this season that really let everyone down. These teams either failed to meet expectations, failed to progress from what we saw last year, or just downright wet the bed at the worst possible time.
Let's take a look at a handful of teams whose fan bases are undoubtedly going into the offseason with a level of disappointment they did not expect.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars were 8-3 at the end of November, and they had a matchup against the Joe Burrow-less Cincinnati Bengals to kick off the month of December.
What could have possibly led to this team -- one of the hottest in the NFL dating back to the second half of the 2022 season -- missing the playoffs completely?
The Jaguars peed the 2023 season down their legs. They let everyone in the NFL world down that had been rooting for them after the tremendous progression they showed last season, including winning a playoff game against the Los Angeles Chargers.
Hope is not permanently lost for the Jags, but the collapse they had in 2023 was a massive setback. This team is now searching for a new defensive coordinator and needs to revamp personnel on that side of the ball in 2024. If Trevor Lawrence can stay healthy, this team can bounce back, but to start off 8-3 and miss the playoffs? The Jaguars were a massive disappointment.