5 NFL teams who are poised to return to the postseason in 2024
4. Cincinnati Bengals
I had picked the Cincinnati Bengals to win the Super Bowl this year, but Joe Burrow was pretty much hurt all year, and eventually found himself out for the season with a wrist injury. It's well-known how good Burrow is when healthy, and they appeared in the AFC Championship Game in 2021 and 2022, making it to the SB in 2021.
The Bengals are going to get Burrow back and fully healthy, and will surely pick up where they left off in 2022. I don't think there's a ton of discussion here; Cincy is one of the best teams in the NFL with Joe Burrow.
3. Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars were 8-3 at one point in the 2023 NFL Season. They finished 9-8 and did not make the postseason. Their defense was shaky all year and Trevor Lawrence did regress a bit as a passer. Doug Pederson is a Super Bowl-winning head coach and did bring swift change to the franchise.
I think Pederson is one of the better head coaches in the NFL and assume that he'll have put a solid plan in place to get this team back into the postseason. I do think most of us expected more from Trevor Lawrence, but he was also battling injuries all season. I think the Jags get cleaned up a bit in the offseason and hit the ground running in 2024.