Every season brings turnover amongst NFL Playoff teams. As we start the off-season, lets look at teams whose 2015 season took them to the post-season dance, but don’t have enough left in the tank to be back next year.
2015 NFL Playoff Teams That Won’t Be Back in 2016
The Redskins were a team that barely skated into the playoffs in 2015. They finished 9-7, and didn’t beat a single team with a winning record. Their defense played well throughout most of the year, but when they encountered playoff teams, they looked completely lost. In 2016, they’ll have some cap issues, and either minus a ton of cash or their starting quarterback.
Unfortunately, it seems as if the Redskins will be punished for winning the division last season, as they will draw the other NFC division winners. Even if they finished dead last in the NFC East, the division still has to face the NFC and AFC North. In 2016, the Redskins have to play the Green Bay Packers, Carolina Panthers, Pittsburgh Steelers, Minnesota Vikings, Cincinnati Bengals, and Arizona Cardinals, all of whom made the playoffs in 2015.
However, that’s not the biggest thing going against the Redskins. The reality is that the other three NFC East teams will likely improve over the off-season. Tony Romo and Dez Bryant will be healthy together for the first time since week one, the Giants have a ton of talent on offense, and the Eagles are the NFL’s biggest wildcard.
It isn’t fair to say that Houston only made the playoffs in 2015 because Andrew Luck was hurt, but it’s true. Even without their superstar quarterback, the Colts managed to put eight wins together. With Luck’s return, the Colts will likely recapture the division. Only ten teams scored fewer points than the Texans in 2015, and with the probable release of Arian Foster, along with the the lack of availability at the quarterback position, they’re lame duck champions.
The Texans have to play against the extremely competitive AFC West, the NFC North, the Cincinnati Bengals, and have to travel to play the dreaded New England Patriots in 2016. With the exception of the Tennessee Titans, there isn’t an “easy win” on the schedule, and it’s hard to ignore the fact that the Jaguars were scoring about 24 points per game in 2015.
It sounds like a stretch to say that the defending Super Bowl champions won’t make the playoffs in the following year, but it’s not unheard of. Nobody has won consecutive Super Bowls since the Patriots in 2004, and only the Seahawks have made back-to-back appearances since then. The “Super Bowl Curse” may be a myth, but there’s no question that a shorter off-season and an increase in player demand make it harder for the champs to succeed.
As if that weren’t enough, the Broncos only have approximately $11 million in available cap space before cuts, and they’ve got several free agents hitting the market. Chief of these free agents is pass rusher and Super Bowl MVP, Von Miller. Miller is expected to make somewhere around $15 million per year with whatever team signs him, assuming Denver doesn’t bite and take the $14 million cap hit for the franchise tag. They’ll likely lose defensive ends Antonio Smith and Malik Jackson, quarterback Brock Osweiler, and linebackers Brandon Marhsall and Danny Trevathan. There’s always a chance someone in Denver takes a “hometown discount” to try and sustain the team’s success, but even then, they can’t retain the entire team.
Denver’s 2016 schedule doesn’t look too difficult until you take a closer look at the AFC West. Oakland and Kansas City are both teams on the rise, and as long as Philip Rivers is under center in San Diego, the Chargers are a threat. It’s true that Denver does have to host the New England Patriots, but the real threat lies west in Oakland. The Raiders are a trendy playoff pick for 2016, and with a nucleus of great young players, they were able to split the series with the Broncos in 2015. The Raiders have almost $70 million in cap space, a growing reputation for drafting phenomenally well, and the consistency of returning most of the roster and coaching staff. The Broncos may end the season atop the power rankings, but they won’t stay there long.
