2023 NFL playoffs: Ranking 12 losing teams' chances of reaching 2024 Super Bowl​

We're down to the final two teams in the 2023 NFL playoffs: it's the Chiefs and the Eagles headed for a Super Bowl LVII showdown, after Kansas City edged the Bengals at Arrowhead Stadium and Philly routed the 49ers at Lincoln Financial Field. But what about the 12 title hopefuls who fell short of the promised land this year? Which ones are destined to be back in the race a year from now, and which ones have quite a bit of work to do?

Here's our early ranking of the 12 non-Super Bowl playoff teams, and which ones are best suited for a run at the next championship, come January-February 2024:

12. Seahawks

They were far more explosive than expected with Geno Smith under center, and they've got both early draft picks and extra money to spend this offseason. But Smith, 32, may be due to regress, and even if a high-profile rookie succeeds him at quarterback, this team will be in transition on defense, where they've been mostly overmatched for years.

11. Cowboys

Every year, we give them the on-paper hype they're due, and every year, they remind us of their big-stage failings. And now they're entering an offseason in which they won't have excess cash for clear needs, like a true No. 2 receiver. Dak Prescott remains a good QB, but with an aging line and play-calling uncertainty -- Mike McCarthy is set to take over in the wake of Kellen Moore's departure -- his setup suddenly feels like it's a year past its championship expiration date.

10. Dolphins

The defense should get a boost with Vic Fangio set to join the fold, but that unit is still a work in progress. More importantly, how can they be projected for sustained success when the health of QB Tua Tagovailoa is such a major question? If they're truly committed to Tua, they'd better also invest in a premium fallback, which is easier said than done. Mike McDaniel is a smart coach, but in a tough AFC East, they hardly feel a lock to be back in the postseason.

9. Buccaneers

They're a tough one to sort mainly because Tom Brady's future is up in the air, and no matter what happens -- a Brady return, retirement or relocation -- they aren't overly promising as an aging group with an overly predictable head coach in Todd Bowles. Still, if somehow Brady laces 'em up with renewed motivation, plus new play-calling juice post-Byron Leftwich, they've got enough weaponry out wide and on "D" to surprise.

8. Chargers

As long as Justin Herbert is slinging it, they should generally be in the mix. Their lineup is also due for some positive injury regression after big names like Mike Williams and Joey Bosa missed major chunks of time. And yet, with Brandon Staley sticking at head coach, there's always a fear of them overthinking critical moments or making things harder than they have to be.

7. Giants

Brian Daboll proved that he's capable of maximizing their talent, and more should be on the way now that general manager Joe Schoen has plenty of money to spend. But the real question is what they do with that money: if Daniel Jones is back under center after a big step forward, what is his ceiling as a passer? And who's blocking or making plays for him? The pendulum is swinging in the right direction here; there are just too many variables to assess how far they're headed.

6. 49ers

Kyle Shanahan sure knows how to taste an NFC title: with or without healthy QBs, he's now guided his team to three conference championship appearances in the last four years. Even if DeMeco Ryans departs, the defense should remain quite formidable at every level. And Brock Purdy showed lots of poise as a rookie gunslinger. But it's anyone's guess as to how he'd fare as an Opening Day starter behind a line that wilted a bit this postseason, or what Trey Lance might offer as his competition. Maybe they go wild and add a QB from the outside, but then you're dealing with an entirely different unknown.

5. Ravens

This is mostly predicated on Lamar Jackson returning, of course, and that may well not be a given depending on how contract talks unfold ahead of free agency. Even then, there are concerns: Jackson has not stayed healthy for two straight seasons, and he's yet to prove himself as a steady passer under the playoff lights. But his sheer electricity, coupled with John Harbaugh's experience up top and the returning punch of a Roquan Smith-led "D," suggests they can be a force if they're at full speed.

4. Vikings

Maybe this is giving a franchise synonymous with big-game heartbreak too much credit, but Kevin O'Connell gave the team a true injection of life in his first year on the job. The "D" was an absolute sieve, but the plus side is, post-Ed Donatell, that unit almost literally can't be worse. More importantly, Kirk Cousins actually exercised more resilience in a year full of close games, and Justin Jefferson is the type of MVP-level threat that always gives them a chance. In an NFC North undergoing transition, with the Packers a wild card and the Bears still rebuilding, they've got a path back to contention.

3. Jaguars

Yes, we're serious. They may have scraped their way to an ugly AFC South title, but Doug Pederson and Trevor Lawrence exceeded expectations of their pairing by season's end, most notably with the 27-point comeback against the Chargers in their playoff debut. Lawrence is just now emerging as a potential top-10 gunslinger. Pederson has proven to be a culture-builder in multiple places. Their young defensive front showed out early in the postseason. And here's the kicker: more reinforcements should be on the way, including former All-Pro wideout Calvin Ridley. In that division, why can't they make a deeper run?

2. Bills

They may have flopped on their own snowy turf in the divisional round this year, and Josh Allen certainly deserves more flak than he gets for his penchant for turnovers. But if they can find a way to merely fix the run game -- or at least commit more consistently to it -- the Allen-Stefon Diggs pairing alone is enough to carry them through shootouts with the best of them. Money isn't abundant thanks to their moves of offseasons past, and the "D" has its own questions on the back end, but with a battle-tested Sean McDermott at the helm, they remain one of the more well-rounded contenders in the game.

1. Bengals

They're the boring pick since they've now been to two straight AFC title games, but it's hard not to trust Joe Burrow and Co. to return to the big stage at some point. Put it this way: even another wave of offensive-line issues didn't severely damage No. 9's chances of vying for a trophy, so if they can finally assemble a sturdier front, and presumably have Ja'Marr Chase healthier for the course of a full season, they should remain in control atop the AFC North. With Lou Anarumo poised to stay in charge of the "D," there's also no reason to believe Cincy will face a drastic drop-off there, even with inevitable personnel changes.

Hello. I'm the Bears owner. I was born in 1923.
There might be another 1929 stock market crash, so, I'm saving all our cap space just in case!

dang said:

I don’t see trading Robinson for multiple reasons. So we have Kupp, Robinson, Jefferson , Skow snd Atwell. Picking up OBJ would add a weapon but at what cost. Maybe another year of McCuthceon produces a replacement for Robinson the following year. So for those reasons I think the Rams roll with what they have and maybe pick up a vet later in the season. Now unless Hopkins is much more consistent than what we’ve seen, I could see the Rams picking up a TE FA or using a R3/4 pick on a replacement for Higbee. So for offense priority will be OL, OL, QB2 and RB3 in FA/Draft.

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Agree...a more dynamic TE is more of a need. Either a great blocking TE, who can catch a bit, or a great receiving TE who can block. That is a big need. Higbee seems to get dinged too often and doesnt play that well when he plays hurt.

Mackeyser said:

Kyle Shanahan is the modern incarnation of Mike Martz… brilliant playcaller, but exposes his QBs to injury unrelentingly and unrepentantly and this squanders SB caliber rosters. His window is wider because he’s not anchored to Jay Zygmunt and Charlie Armey, but squandered is squandered.

If anything, Kyle’s the greater tragedy because assembling a SB caliber roster is exceedingly difficult and he’s already squandered more than Martz.

It makes me think that after this stint, Kyle is gonna have a hard time staying in the league… he’ll get one more chance, but as the QBs keep dropping, that’ll be the end.

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Thats a great comparison IMO. Watching the 9ers play, the Offense is frustratingly good with a lot of quick slants and PA. Works really well but is reliant on the QB holding the ball at times when protection in the pocket is breaking down. Purdy’s injury could have been avoided had he thrown the ball away but he was hanging in there to make the play.

CGI_Ram said:

Man, I am going to catch shit… I don’t have any anger against the dude anymore. Something flipped with me a couple of years ago.

6 seasons in a row over 4000yds, all over 40yrs old. 3 of them in Tampa. Get out! Does anyone see THAT happening again?

It seems off the field he’s not the prototypical jerk type, either. He seems more normal than most at his level of fame, anyway.

Lastly… It got to the point Brady made ME feel younger. Dude was still playing pro football and not too much younger than me. How did he do it?

There. Good thing mods can’t be put on ignore.

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Is he rated at all as a draft prospect?
Just wondering.

The thing with Rochelle… we have very little game day data.

He seemed to show promise as a rookie, started 5 games. Since? No data.

I don’t see anything to suggest we should move on because he’s hardly played. He hasn’t proven success, or failure, IMO.

Brady to the whiners? Bring it on. AD will feast on his lack of mobility.

@ReekofRams He didn't block anybody in the video, so it definitely could be Evans.

dieterbrock said:

Jimmy G is gone. He's a UFA

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Jimmy G to either the Jets, Texans or Raiders makes sense.
Coaches who know him and places that need QBs.
Purdy was thinking he was going to be the starter or compete for the starting job after his play this year and before his injury.
Almost no chance he unseats their 1st round QB until he plays he way out of the starting role.

I was kind of enjoying Denver sucking ass. Their fans irritate the fuck out of me. But this prick will bring them back.

Though this may allow the AFC West live up to its billing of last offseason. Raiders and Chargers fans gotta be pissed.

RIP

Loved that show as a kid

TexasRam said:

I can't remember the last time a team had such a dominant combo of Oline and pass rush. The eagles Chiefs will be a textbook game of "is the game won in the trenches". I can't see KC beating them, but if they do Mahomes is super human. Spags legend may grow as well.

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Maybe a McVay replacement?

I think they have enough of a core to make one more run. I'm skeptical it can be a Superbowl run but if they make the playoffs its a new season and anything can happen. For that reason it would be a mistake to trade Aaron. Or Ramsey for that matter. Not to mention you want Aaron to retire after spending his whole career with the same team. That is rare these days.

Great job!!

I have a 5ftx5ft 4 LED (20w) diode laser as well. Lots of fun.

In looking at the last 20 years the only team to make it to the Superbowl (and win it) with a QB who missed considerable time (more than 2 games) due to injury was the Eagles in 2017
No doubt having a back up who can actually play QB, (unlike the Rams in 2022 until they got Baker) is an ideal situation but the reality is that teams who lose their #1 QB for a length of time will have a disappointing season.
The goal is to keep the QB from getting hurt more than spending resources on having a back up who likely wont play or be a difference maker.
That said, I feel bad for Purdy getting hurt but am also disappointed that we didnt get to see him exposed against a superior team

Except when Gretzky was on the Kings and the Triple Crown line, I almost never follow hockey

They are a lot like a Fisher coached team only almost never penalized. I have seen Greenlaw make that move of multiple punching of the ball and arms 2 other times and the refs don't call it. Until yesterday.

KJD_Ram said:

called to cancel Monday after the final weekend...was told I had to wait until Jan. 17th...spent that time watching everything I had recorded...I'd be curious to see the cancelations nationwide...I too was a subscriber since 95....DTV was a great company back in the day, then they were bought out by ATT and it went south in a hurry...plus, they could never get a deal done with the PAC-12 which forced me to get XFinity cable...

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Remember that first year price on Sunday Ticket. It was like 60$ and you could buy it on its own without getting all you TV from them.
I did that until around 2003, paid for local analog cable. I had one of those boxes that let you get all the premium channels for free.
When they went digital my box stopped working then I got it all from them.
It is possible to get DTVs signal unscrambled illegally. I had a friend who knew someone and had a guy build him a computer, a desktop that its only job was to figure out how to unscramble it.
Every once in awhile the signal would go out and the computer would take a few minutes to figure out the code and the picture would come back.
He passed away and I do not know what happened to the equipment. But the signal it there, all around us.

So, I will move quickly past playing with matches under a mature pine tree with a few years worth of dead pine needles at our feet and jump to late '71 or early "72. I was 17 by then and not really a kid anymore, but my friends and I had our drivers licenses by then and were capable of real damage doing stupid stuff.
One Friday or Saturday night we were "Cruising the Creek". Think "American Graffiti" but a few years later and a few miles North and East of Modesto in Walnut Creek, Ca. ( We still were listening to "The Wolfman" though, we could pick him up at night when he was on XERB). This was before "Cruising" was banned by old fuddy duddys in charge of making City Ordinances".
I was not driving. We were in Jim's car, a "67 Malibu with a 283 small block and a 3 speed manual transmission. Jim was maybe 4 years older than the rest of us, a friend from Bethel Island where my friend Kenny's parents had a weekend home. Being older Jim had a job earning money he spent mostly on his car including nice fat tires. ( I was running retreads on my "61 Galaxy.)
There were four of us in the car. Jim was driving, Kenny had shotgun and I was in the backseat with my big mouth and another friend.
So we were going up and down South Main Street when we passed by, going the other direction a '69 Olds Delta 88 with what was probably a big block 455 and probably automatic transmission. These guys were older, out of high school, and maybe looking to impress younger females with older ladies being wise to their ways.
Words were exchanged and I don't remember exactly what I said but they replied something to the effect "we better not see you again". Well maybe one pass later we were going the same direction and more words were exchanged and I believe the words
"Yo mama" escaped my lips and the chase was on.
Fortunately we were headed North near Ygnacio Valley Road and made a quick left and then another onto 680 Southbound with a quick merge onto 24 and points west. Jim's' 3 speed had gained us some distance early but there was no way we were going to outpace a 455 big block over the long run. So, from the left hand lane doing in excess of 120 MPH, approaching the Central Lafayette exit which was a cloverleaf design, and the Olds' about 30 yards behind, Jim makes a hard right hand turn to make the exit.
I believe the fat tires Jim was running made the difference, we would have rolled over a few times otherwise and the Delta '88 didn't even try to make the turn and had to go another few miles to the Upper Happy Valley Road exit to turn around.
This excitement ended the fun for the evening and we retired back to Kens' house for a beer to (Jim could buy) calm down and to tell me to keep my mouth shut next time.

I think Goff needed a kick in the ass instead of being ' The Golden Boy' bullshit. He has some fire and focus now and I'm happy for him! As many did 2 years ago predicting the Lions should be start peaking about this year especially with those 2 first rounders. It's going to be interesting to see what kind of team they put together there.

p.s. @FarNorth they need to get a top TE for Goff in those top 2.5 rounds.

Angry Ram said:

I don't want to "pump" anything.

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Hey now. If Mila Kunis is available...

jackburginjr said:

Hurts is ok, but still leaves a bit to be desired. Fields HELL NO.

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What does "much to be desired" even mean???

35 total tuds, 3700 yards passing, #1 seed, what more do you want?