Newsletter

4 teams that will return to the Playoffs in the 2021 NFL season • First and Ten

Training camps have kicked off around the league and it’s time to start the 2021 NFL season predictions. This time we will review the situation of four teams that were in the playoffs last year and this year they will do it again.

It is important to point out that, to make this a bit more entertaining, we are going to skip some names; the Kansas City Chiefs, Cleveland Browns and Buffalo Bills are my candidates to win their respective divisions in the AFC, as are the Packers, Buccaneers and Rams in the NFC. In this space we will not dedicate much more to them, except to mention that they are very complete teams and returning to the postseason in 2021 is practically their obligation.

Now, we will focus on four teams that played last year in January and this time their circumstances present interesting complications, but that have everything to overcome them.

Tennessee Titans

The offensive reinforcements of this team came in the form of Julio Jones, a receiver who has dominated the fields for the last decade, which today puts this team with a very interesting group of playmakers on that side of the ball complemented by AJ Brown and Derrick Henry.

The questions are on the defensive; Admittedly they brought in Bud Dupree to pressure the opposing quarterback, but their secondary is completely different than last year and while it doesn’t look bad with Janoris Jenkins and rookie Caleb Farley as starting cornerbacks, it has to be seen to be believed.

Although their 2021 schedule presents the complication of facing them against the NFC West, probably the most difficult division, they also have duels against the AFC East. Having two meetings against Jacksonville and Houston, plus one against the Jets, will give them enough victories to make the Playoffs, but not as division champions – that spot will belong to the next team on the list.

Indianapolis Colts

Last season, the division leadership was decided in their last game in which they lost to the Titans. This time we will see a somewhat different story, but also very fought for the lead.

The Colts received Carson Wentz in trade, which sounds very promising, since despite the poor performance of the quarterback last season, he will be reunited with his mentor Fran Reich, with whom he had his best years in Philadelphia. With him low center, a very effective combination of running backs in Jonathan Taylor and Nyheim Hines, but above all with a super solid defense that also added to power in the pass rush with rookie Kwity Paye, this team has enough to pace. winner.

They will no doubt face interesting complications, such as figuring out who will be their playmaker in the passing game and also the fact that they have a very difficult start to the season, in that in the first eight weeks their simplest duels on paper are a visit to Miami and a home game against the Texans, but the others six are against tough opponents including three from NFC West, twice the Titans and a visit to Baltimore. These tests will tell us a lot about this team.

Fortunately for them, the second half of their schedule is relaxed enough that, packed together, they build the momentum needed to win the AFC South.

Baltimore Ravens

As long as things continue in the direction that they are going in Baltimore in terms of personnel and positive progression, this is a team that we have to consider in the postseason.

The question that many of us want to see resolved is whether Lamar Jackson will continue his evolution as a quarterback and develop his ability to throw the ball, especially when the front office worried about bringing Sammy Watkins and Rashod Bateman to the receiving corps. This remains to be seen, however, if they don’t, they can always rely on their talent for ground damage, something they won’t hesitate to do.

The duels against the North teams of the NFC will be decisive, since it is with them that he will fight a wild card position; hosting the Vikings and traveling to Chicago will be tests of great importance for this team for this reason.

Seattle Seahawks

The only NFC team on this list. It is difficult to argue against this table, since no matter how inconsistent it presents season after season, they are always a rival you do not want to face.

It seems that Russell Wilson’s dissatisfaction with his front office has been a result of the pieces that were added to the offensive line; specifically Gabe Jackson, who should give you enough room in the center of the bag to trade. In addition, the arrival of Dwayne Eskridge in the Draft can add a different element to the talent of targets in the passing game. Add to this that Chris Carson appears to be healthy, things on offense look promising.

The questions could be on the defensive side where they lost Shaquill Griffin and Jamal Adams, despite being a tremendous talent, he has not been constantly in the lineup and is now looking for a great contract. His biggest challenge, however, will be to get victories in his own division, as each of the four teams can be argued for as potential Playoff contenders. His record in all six divisional games will be the key for this team to return to the postseason.

These are the four teams that will repeat the Playoffs trip after the 2021 NFL Season. For you, which one is left over or which one is missing from this list? We read you in the comments below this article or on our social networks.

Comments

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Trending