The San Diego Chargers were a tale of two teams a year ago, and unlike in recent years, actually won four of their first five games. That lead to three separate streaks during their season, and after a six game mid season slide, the Bolts ended the season with a 3-1 run.
The Oakland Raiders should have been a playoff team a year ago. They were in a great spot with a 7-4 record with five games left in the season, and then they just collapsed. Losing four of their last five, including the season finale at home versus the Chargers, and missing the postseason once again.
Seattle looked like a budding playoff team for the last eight games in 2011. They went 5-3 during that span, and did not lose a game by more than six points. They also picked up a win over a very strong Baltimore team during that stretch, so this team has the talent needed to make a run.
The Rams had a forgettable 2011. The team won just two games, and the only thing that can make that worse, is the fact that things don’t look a whole lot better for the 2012 season either.
The 49ers finally got it right last year, and because of that, many people (including their biggest critics) will be expecting them to be back in the hunt again this coming season.
The Cardinals had a pretty up and down season a year ago, and a little more consistency under center could do wonders for this team’s playoff aspirations in the 2012-2013 season.
You won’t see many playoff teams make as big of a change as the Broncos made this past off-season.
They traded the quarterback that seemingly orchestrated their playoff run a season ago, and signed a guy that didn’t take a single snap in the 2011 season.
I love this time of year. The NFL training camps are kicking off, and football is right around the corner. One of the most exciting aspects to being an NFL fan is predicting how the upcoming season will unfold.
Everyone has an opinion, and most are willing to share them.
The Cincinnati Bengals surprised a ton of people by getting to the playoffs last season. In fact, almost everyone expected the Bengals to be one of the worst teams in the NFL.
The Baltimore Ravens had a very successful season last year, but the 2012 NFL playoffs couldn’t have ended in more disappointing fashion. Lee Evans dropped a touchdown pass that would have won the game for the Ravens, and then Billy Cundiff shanked a 32-yard field goal. The Ravens ended up falling 23-20 to the New England Patriots.
The Cleveland Browns fans are as dedicated of a bunch as you will find. Unfortunately, the Dawg Pound hasn’t had anything to cheer about in quite some time. When Mike Holmgren came over to run the team a couple years ago, the expectations rose for this team.
After getting to the Super Bowl in 2011, the Steelers 2012 playoffs ended with a disappointing first round loss to the Denver Broncos. Pittsburgh’s defense wasn’t quite as dominant last season, but injuries were at least partially to blame.
The 2010 playoff loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers will stick with the Baltimore Ravens for many years.
It seems as though the Jacksonville Jaguars are always in the playoff hunt with three weeks or fewer to go in the regular season, and that – when placed in such a position – they always seem to fold at the end.
The 2010 Indianapolis Colts’ pre-Super Bowl playoff exit might in fact be the least painful and most dismissible of the seven they have suffered during a nine-year run of heading to the playoffs.
The Houston Texans had a laundry list of expectations heading into the 2010 campaign; however, people in the Space City were heavily disappointed.
