There were two teams in the NFL that finished with a winning record in the 2024 NFL Season that also did not make the playoffs. Who were they? You just have to wonder if this season would still be a success to some degree? I mean, finishing with a winning record in a given NFL season is very impressive, but not making the playoffs also isn''t ideal.
The 9-8 Cincinnati Bengals and 10-7 Seattle Seahawks did not make the postseason in 2024. The Bengals were eliminated in Week 18, and the Seahawks were eliminated the week before.
Two NFL teams finished with a winning record and did NOT make the playoffs...
Let's start with the Bengals.
This team did what they do almost every year - start slow. They began the year 0-3, and were also 1-4 and 4-8 at two other points in the season. The main issue was that the Bengals got in too deep of a hole to begin the season, and as they normally do, they finished on a hot-streak. What ended up being the downfall of the Bengals this year was their defense, as that unit totally fell apart in 2024 and were giving up a ton of points and yards weekly.
Cincy already fired DC Lou Anarumo, so they will be on the search for a new defensive coordinator. Their offense was firing on all cylinders, but it just goes to show you just how important a competent defense is. Heck, even if the Bengals had an average defense, they'd have won 10 games this year and made the playoffs over the Denver Broncos.
An offseason fixing the defense is surely on the way for the Bengals.
The Seattle Seahawks were just an average team overall and were very streaky this year. They had separate win streaks of three and four games, and also had three separate losing streaks of at least two games. It ended with them beating the Los Angeles Rams to earn a 10-7 record, and QB Geno Smith cashed in on some contract bonuses.
But overall, Seattle won't go anywhere with Geno Smith as their QB, and them being an average team for all three years Smith has started absolutely tells you what you need to know - they have a very, very good roster, but are weaker at QB and along the offensive line.
Both teams could be quite close to contending - the Bengals have to fix their defense, and Seattle needs to fix their OL and their QB situation. But if nothing else, there is something to be said about these teams finishing with winning records. That's hard to do in the NFL.