When the Rams face the Dolphins on MNF tonight, Week 10 of the 2024 NFL season will come to a close. After that, fans will have a clearer picture of which teams are likely to make the playoffs and which ones will be watching from home in January. However, for some teams, it might already be time to start preparing for the draft next season.
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There are six teams so far who are certain to miss out on the playoffs. The most obvious candidates are the New York Giants:
The New York Giants are out of the playoff picture
The Giants are now 2-8 in ten games and it’s safe to say the Daniel Jones experiment didn’t work for the New York side. The team made an error by letting Saquon Barkley go, putting all their hope in their $40 million QB, thinking he could turn things around behind a better O-Line. But that didn’t happen.
The Big Blue finished 6-11 last season and got the 6th overall pick in the 2024 draft, getting Malik Nabers. This time, as per USA Today, they are in a position to get the 1st or 2nd overall pick, and with Jones likely out after the season, a new QB is on the cards for them.
Carolina Panthers
The Panthers just got their 3rd win of the campaign against the current most unstable team in the NFL, the Giants. Yet, their 3-7 standing hardly looks promising at the moment.
The organization thought that hiring offensive whizkid Dave Canales would finally help them by unleashing Bryce Young’s full potential. But the Alabama Alum proved them wrong and got benched for Andy Dalton.
The team is still in poor condition and has already started clearing house. Carolina didn’t have the 1st round pick last season but traded up to draft Xavier Legette. Next season, they will have their 1st round pick + 8 more picks. Based on their current record, they are not making playoffs and are in line to get the 10th overall pick.
The Jacksonville Jaguars face a disappointing season yet again
The Jaguars put all their eggs in one basket when they overpaid their QB, Trevor Lawrence, with a $275 million contract. It’s safe to say things didn’t work out as they now sit with a 2-8 record and are certain to miss out on the playoffs for 2nd straight year.
Clemson will miss the remainder of the season with injury and their 2-8 standing is predicted to be reduced to an even lower record. They are also in contention for the top spot in the draft alongside the Giants.
New Orleans Saints
How the Saints have fallen since the departure of Sean Payton and the retirement of Drew Brees! The New Orleans side finally won their 3rd game of the season after seven straight losses, despite a 2-0 start with impressive wins over the Panthers and the Cowboys.
New Orleans is 3-7 now, with one eye set on rebuilding. It starts with hiring a new HC and solving their cap situation. They are not making playoffs for the 2nd straight season despite playing in one of the weakest divisions.
Las Vegas Raiders
Only one good news came out of the Raiders camp this year- Tom Brady became their minority owner. Concerning the rest, erratic form along with an unstable QB position dropped them to a 2-7 for the season currently. Antonio Pierce’s project hasn’t worked yet and the postseason seems like a distant dream.
The team will certainly draft a new QB next season and might even look for a better HC. They are poised to get a top-five pick.
Cleveland Browns
Last year, the Browns won 11 games with DeShaun Watson and Joe Flacco and made the playoffs. Kevin Stefanski was Coach of the Year and they were expected to challenge for the playoffs again. No one would have predicted their current predicament, with a 2-7 record besides their name and playoffs position becoming a distant memory.
Watson yet again played only six games this season and he looked miserable out there. The team would hope to rectify their errors from the season next year and build on from the issues they noticed.
