It’s that time of year where fourteen NFL fan bases experience anxiety about their favorite team in the playoffs, and the other eighteen fan bases try to figure out where it all went wrong. While the media likes to focus on the teams that made it to super wildcard weekend, let’s take a look at the other half of the NFL that wasn’t as fortunate. Here is every non-playoff NFL team ranked from 32-15.
32. Carolina Panthers (2-15)
No surprise here. The Panthers finished the season with two wins on the season, which was the worst record in the NFL. The highlight of the Panthers’ season was when owner David Tepper threw a drink onto a Jaguars’ fan. Tepper wasted no time firing general manager Scott Fitterer at the end of the season. The Panthers are now in complete rebuild mode and will be looking to hire a new head coach and general manager.
31. Washington Commanders (4-13)
The Commanders started the season off 3-3 with a chance to fight for a wildcard spot. However, Washington went on to lose ten of their last eleven games of the season. Washington fell off harder than a mountain climber without a safety rope. The team also parted ways with head Coach Ron Rivera following the final game of the year.
30. New England Patriots (4-13)
Did we just watch Bill Belichick’s last season in New England? The Patriots’ coach found himself on the hot seat after a four-win season. The Patriots’ offense was abysmal in 2023 and was shut out twice, contributing to a total of six games where the offense scored less than ten points. The offense was second to last in the NFL which is vastly different than Patriots’ teams of years past.
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28. Arizona Cardinals (4-13)
Nobody expected the first year head coach in Arizona to turn things around, and a four win season was exactly what this franchise fanbase expected. Three of these wins came against teams that ended up in the postseason. Why the Cardinals couldn’t beat teams that failed to make the playoffs is beyond us, but it was still a season to forget for Cardinals fans.
29. LA Chargers (5-12)
The Chargers found themselves in close games all season long but were never able to run away with the victory. Firing your head coach partway through the season doesn’t help at all, but that’s besides the point. Easton Stick assumed the starting at quarterback role for the last four games in 2023 and lost all four games as the starter. Even running back Austin Ekeler took a step back this year, failing to surpass 700 yards on the ground. The defense didn’t work well as a unit, and if the Chargers has any fans, they would be very disappointed.
27. New York Giants (6-11)
The highlight of the 2023 season for the G men was playing into the persona of Italian Quarterback Tommy DeVito. While this was fun for two or three games, what else happened this season for the Giants?
26. Tennessee Titans (6-11)
This may have been Derrick Henry’s last season as a Titan, which means the team will need to find a new identity on offense. The team did get to try out rookie quarterback Will Levis, and he played alright in lieu of Ryan Tannehill.
25. Chicago Bears (7-10)
Remember at the beginning of the year when everyone thought that Justin Fields was going to break out? How does a touchdown ratio of 16:9, and 44 sacks taken sound? Fields even took a step back in the running game, rushing for 500 less yards than the season before. But this isn’t entirely his fault, the offense was less than impressive as a whole, and so was the defense. Honestly, lookup “mid” in the dictionary and a picture of the Chicago Bears will probably show up.
24. Atlanta Falcons (7-10)
The Falcons ended the season with a blowout loss to the Saints. Head Coach Arthur Smith wqas fired the day after the team’s final game of the Season. Quarterback Desmond Ridder had some bright spots, but also struggled to command the offense. The Defense ranked below average in terms of points allowed. But hey, at least Drake London had a good season.
23. New York Jets (7-10)
This season was an emotional rollercoaster for the Jets. First, we were excited to see Rodgers play, then he tore his achilles tendon on the first drive. Then all of a sudden Zach Wilson improved out of nowhere, and it was thought that Rodgers was going to come back from his injury. But the Jets’ defense performed better than many expected, and this is a bright spot that the team can focus on moving forward.
22. Minnesota Vikings (7-10)
After quarterback Kirk Cousins went down with an injury that ended his season, the Viking scratched and clawed to stay in the playoff hunt. They were actually a wildcard team for most of the season despite going through four quarterbacks in 2023. Ultimately the team fell short due to injuries and a struggling offense.
21. Denver Broncos (8-9)
The Broncos started the season 1-5 and it looked like the team was taking a step back from the previous year. The team went on to win six of seven games from week seven to week fourteen, but ultimately ended the season winning two of their last five. Sean Payton decided to Bench Wilson towards the end of the year when the Broncos still had a chance to make the wildcard spot. Maybe benching your starting quarterback jut to prove that the head coach is in charge was a bad move on Payton’s part. But it’s not like he has a history of making poor decisions as a a head coach. Isn’t that right Bounty Gate?
20. Las Vegas Raiders (8-9)
The Raiders organization fired head coach Josh McDaniels halfway through the season and allowed interim head coach Antonio Pierce to take over the team. Vegas had a winning record with Pierce as the head coach, but it wasn’t enough to overcome the damage that Josh McDaniels had done, and the team finished 8-9. Owner mark Davis has decisions to make surrounding a new head coach and general manager, and we can expect the team to look different at the beginning of the 2024 season.
19. Seattle Seahawks (9-8)
The Seahawks finished 9-8 for the second year in a row, although this time they were unable to make the playoffs. They needed Green Bay to lose against the Bears in order to sneak into that last wildcard spot, but that didn’t happen this time. Th team found themselves on the right side of many one score games but were often victims of blow out losses.
18. Indianapolis Colts (9-8)
Future starter Anthony Richardson went down after four starts, and backup Gardner Minshew stepped into the starting role. Minshew played about as well as a backup could in lieu of Anthony Richardson, and the team came one fourth down conversion away from keeping their playoff hopes alive.
17. New Orleans Saints (9-8)
The Saints ended their season on a good note with a victory over the Falcons, and this team may be on the rise. The Saints’ offense and defense were top ten in terms of points scored, and allowed. This could be a dangerous team in the coming years.
16. Cincinnati Bengals (9-8)
Another team that took their fans on an emotional rollercoaster was the Cincinnati Bengals. The Bengals finished last in their division with a winning record which was the first time since the NFL-AFL merger that a division finished with all teams holding a winning record. Despite Joe Burrow going down with an injury, the Bengals offense kept rolling right along with backup Jake Browning. On paper the offense and defense both weren’t anything to write home about, but the team was still able to find success this season.
15. Jacksonville Jaguars (9-8)
The Jaguars were the top seed in the AFC for part of the year but fell from grace. In the final half of the season, and were losers of five of their last six games. Nothing jumped out about this team, as both their offense and defense ranked middle of the pack. Still, their fall from grace should be studied, and may go down as one of the biggest chokes of the season.
