Last week, I assessed the 2024 seasons of the bottom half of the NFL, the 16 teams with dashed playoff hopes and unrealized potential. I’m shifting my focus to the top half this week and taking a look at the 14 playoff entrants, along with the two contestants for the last AFC wild card spot that came up short.
Each playoff team enjoyed major successes to hit the double-digit win mark and survive and advance, but between preseason expectations, injury issues and late-season performances, the road to the postseason (or almost postseason) resonated and materialized differently with each team. The Broncos and Commanders’ wild card berths, powered by their rookie quarterbacks, infused long-suffering fan bases with optimism, while the Chiefs and Lions, two of the final four teams remaining in the last playoff bracket, rolled to 15 wins.
Compared to last week’s article, these grades are much more deserving of the honor roll and my parents’ seal of approval. I’ve also added in one game that encapsulates the respective team’s 2024 regular season performance. Though many of these teams came into 2024 with larger goals than simply making the postseason, there’s a solid body of work to be evaluated — and a terrific opportunity for those teams to build off their regular season successes in the weeks to come.
Buffalo Bills (13-4, 1st in AFC East)
Grade: A-. The Bills have been a legitimate contender for the majority of the past decade after snapping one of the NFL’s longest playoff droughts in 2017. Behind quarterback and MVP hopeful Josh Allen, Buffalo has made the playoffs six consecutive seasons, with 10, 13, 11, 13, 11 and 13 wins, respectively, across those seasons (the Bills might have set the record this year with 14 wins if not for resting their starters in Week 18). Allen had a career year in 2024, finishing second in QBR (77.2) and trimming down his turnover totals while powering in 12 touchdown rushes. Running back James Cook took a step forward in providing a run game to complement the aerial attack, and the Buffalo defense finished just outside the top 10 in points allowed. Of course, the crown jewel of the regular season was a 30-21 victory over the Chiefs on Nov. 17, the only loss for the Kansas City starters since Christmas Day 2023. Buffalo missed out on the AFC one seed and first-round bye, but they might be Kansas City’s biggest challenger for AFC supremacy.
2024 in a Nutshell: Bills 48, Lions 42. Buffalo beat the one seeds in both conferences this year, and this high-scoring affair will be a major reason if Allen takes home MVP. The Bills came into Detroit and demolished the Lions’ stingy defense, with Allen throwing for two touchdowns and rushing for two more.
Miami Dolphins (8-9, 2nd in AFC East)
Grade: D+. The Dolphins had two crucial objectives to reach in holding off the rest of the AFC East and taking another step into true AFC contender status: keep quarterback Tua Tagovailoa healthy and beat good teams. Miami did not accomplish either, and though the big names on the coaching staff and front office are expected to stay in place, the Dolphins’ best days with this core might be behind them. Miami fell behind in the playoff picture with a pair of three-game losing streaks in the season’s first half, then saw their chances fade away with losses to two playoff teams, the Packers and Texans, with a relatively healthy Tagovailoa at the helm. Tagovailoa only played in 11 games, as the previously dynamic Dolphins offense regressed to the bottom half of the NFL in points per game and yards per game. Miami only beat one playoff entrant in the regular season (the Rams) and may need a roster overhaul to reinvent themselves as contenders.
2024 in a Nutshell: Jets 32, Dolphins 20. All Miami had to do to keep its playoff hopes alive in Week 18 was defeat the lowly Jets, who fired their head coach and general manager at midseason. Instead, the Dolphins defense allowed Aaron Rodgers to fire four touchdown passes, while backup Tyler Huntley fumbled four times, lost one fumble and threw a pair of interceptions. Denver’s win ensured Miami was eliminated regardless of the result, but losing to the Jets with the season on the line is rough.
Baltimore Ravens (12-5, 1st in AFC North)
Grade: B+. The offseason pairing of two Heisman trophy winners, quarterback Lamar Jackson and running back Derrick Henry, allowed an offense that had already launched Baltimore to the top seed in 2023 to reach another level. Henry amassed 1,921 rushing yards and 16 rushing touchdowns in his first season in Charm City, while Jackson — a two-time MVP — somehow improved his game further. Baltimore fumbled away games against terrible Las Vegas and Cleveland squads, but wins against the Bills, Chargers, Texans, Commanders and Steelers bode well for a deep playoff run. The Ravens’ defense had quite an up-and-down year in DC Zach Orr’s first season, ranking first in rushing yardage allowed and second-to-last in passing, and the unit will be tested against a gauntlet of elite AFC passers.
2024 in a Nutshell: Ravens 35, Bills 10. Baltimore made its 0-2 start a faint memory by obliterating Josh Allen and the Bills on Sunday Night Football. Henry hit 199 yards rushing and Jackson tacked on two touchdowns through the air, while Buffalo’s offense only picked up 81 rushing yards.
Pittsburgh Steelers (10-7, 2nd in AFC North)
Grade: B-. For the first half of the season, the Steelers were a revelation. Expected to be a fringe playoff team, Pittsburgh raced out to a commanding lead in the competitive AFC North. Even a midseason quarterback change, which swapped out Justin Fields for Russell Wilson, led to greater successes. But a four-game losing streak cost Pittsburgh the AFC North title and home-field advantage in the playoffs and instills serious doubts. The Steelers failed to clear 17 points in a single one of those contests, and Wilson’s performance has cratered in the stretch run. 10 wins would seem like a best-case scenario for Pittsburgh in the offseason, but the Steelers do not look like a powerhouse capable of matching up with the AFC’s best.
2024 in a Nutshell: Steelers 28, Commanders 27. Pittsburgh held its own with a couple of eventual playoff teams, and their win over Washington was among their most thrilling. Wilson fired three touchdown passes, including the go-ahead score with 2:22 left in regulation, and the Steeler defense allowed Rookie of the Year favorite Jayden Daniels to manage three points in his last five second-half drives.
Cincinnati Bengals (9-8, 3rd in AFC North)
Grade: C+. Given the Bengals’ resolve through adversity in 2023, a 2024 season that promised to reunite healthy quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase positioned Cincinnati as a real bounce-back candidate. Instead, the Bengals tumbled to a 4-8 start and could not capitalize on the Burrow-Chase connection. Chase finished with the receiving triple crown by leading the NFL in receptions, receiving touchdowns and yards and Burrow put together arguably his best season as a pro. But the Bengals’ confounding early losses, paired with severe defensive regression (25.5 points allowed per game), rendered a five-game winning streak to cap off the regular season a footnote.
2024 in a Nutshell: Ravens 35, Bengals 34. Burrow threw for 428 yards and four touchdowns, Chase caught 11 passes for 264 yards and three scores… and the Bengals still lost. The Bengals surrendered a two-touchdown, third-quarter lead and failed on a two-point conversion to win it in the final minute.
Houston Texans (10-7, 1st in AFC South)
Grade: B-. In most other NFL divisions, the Texans don’t make the playoffs with the performance they had in 2024. Houston regressed slightly from last year’s incredible and unexpected run to the postseason, but a 5-1 divisional record and a strong season from free-agent acquisition Joe Mixon gave Houston improved offensive balance. In his second season, quarterback C.J. Stroud threw for fewer touchdowns and yards, tossed more interceptions and saw drops in his passer rating, QBR and completion percentage, but the rest of the division failed to produce a serious contender to the Texans’ divisional title defense.
2024 in a Nutshell: Texans 23, Bills 20. Houston’s most impressive victory of the season featured 331 passing yards from C.J. Stroud, a nearly-squandered 20-3 advantage and a 59-yard field goal at the buzzer by Ka’imi Fairbairn to win it. Houston’s defense deserved its props in holding Buffalo’s Josh Allen to nine completions and 131 passing yards.
Kansas City Chiefs (15-2, 1st in AFC West)
Grade: A-. The Chiefs did not look unbeatable through the 2024 regular season, but the back-to-back Super Bowl champions almost ended the regular season that way. Kansas City made a routine out of daring late-game escapes and opponent miscues, but also showed resilience in overcoming injuries in the backfield and receiving corps and reasserting its defense in the top five of scoring defenses in the league. Quarterback Patrick Mahomes did not establish himself in the MVP conversation and did not rank in the top five in touchdowns (ninth), yardage (seventh) or QBR (eighth). Still, his clutch play helped maneuver the Chiefs to the top seed in the AFC and came up big against AFC contenders. Kansas City enters the regular season relatively healthy and as the clear team to beat — will their pristine track record in one-score games (11-0) hold up in the postseason?
2024 in a Nutshell: Chiefs 19, Chargers 17. Kansas City maintained its big brother edge over the rest of its division with a last-second win in Los Angeles. Mahomes was quiet with just 210 passing yards and a score against the Chargers’ top-ranked defense, but Chiefs third-string kicker Matthew Wright clanked the game-ending field goal off the upright and in for yet another buzzer-beating win for the Chiefs.
Los Angeles Chargers (11-6, 2nd in AFC West)
Grade: A-. Head coach Jim Harbaugh transformed the culture and outlook in his first season in Los Angeles, and the result is arguably the most dangerous wild card team in the NFL and a surefire contender for years to come. While quarterback Justin Herbert’s star power was a given entering the season, the defense improved by leaps and bounds under defensive coordinator Jesse Minter, allowing an NFL-best 17.7 points per game. The Chargers’ sweep of the Broncos entrenched them in second place in the division, though Los Angeles was winless in its other matchups against eventual playoff teams. Whatever the playoff result, the Chargers appear to be on an encouraging trajectory and are ahead of schedule in the Harbaugh rebuild.
2024 in a Nutshell: Chargers 34, Bengals 27. A duel between draftmates Justin Herbert and Joe Burrow lived up to its building as the Chargers notched a quality win over a playoff contender. Herbert finished a touch shy of 300 passing yards and helped L.A. race out to a 27-6 lead, and the defense did just enough to hold off Burrow’s heroic comeback attempt.
Denver Broncos (10-7, 3rd in AFC West)
Grade: A+++++++++++ (from a dedicated fan who is just happy to see them clinch the playoffs aka Mandy Shuster) The drought has finally ended for Broncos Country, as Rookie Bo Nix led the team to their first playoff spot since 2015. Their third-place finish from their 10-7 season was nothing to write home about, their final regular season game against a mostly second string Kansas City Chiefs was not very surprising, and their upcoming game against the AFC East Division Title 13-4 Bills is not looking promising, but despite it all, Broncos fans are leaving the 2024-2025 regular season with smiles on their faces.
2024 in a Nutshell: Broncos 38, Chiefs 0! There is much pain in the world, but not in this room. The Broncos made the playoffs! F*** it, Sutton down there somewhere.
Philadelphia Eagles (14-3, 1st in NFC East)
Grade: B+. If not for quarterback Jalen Hurts’ concussion in the late weeks of the regular season, the Eagles would have had as strong a 2024 campaign as their most optimistic fans could have dreamed about in the summer. Offseason addition Saquon Barkley sprinted, backwards hurdled and juked his way to a 2,000-rushing-yard season, and the defense flourished under new defensive coordinator Vic Fangio with the best points per game mark in the NFC. Philadelphia passed major tests in wins over the Packers, Commanders, Rams, Ravens and Steelers and, to the delight of their fans, swept reigning division champion Dallas. If Hurts returns to the lineup in the playoffs, the Eagles should be the favorites to win the NFC, even without the top seed.
2024 in a Nutshell: Eagles 24, Ravens 19. Philadelphia’s suffocating defense limited the high-flying Ravens to 19 points on their own field, while Barkley outperformed Derrick Henry with 107 rushing yards and a score.
Washington Commanders (12-5, 2nd in NFC East)
Grade: A+. The excellence of the Commanders’ 2024 season goes beyond football. With new ownership, a new head coach and a rookie quarterback leading the charge, Washington jumped from four wins to 12. Remember, this is a team that hadn’t even won 11 regular season games since 1991, and hasn’t won a playoff game since 2005. Jayden Daniels dazzled viewers and confounded defenses with a 70.6 QBR (fourth in the league) and 891 rushing yards (second among quarterbacks), and Washington eked out storybook wins against Chicago, Philadelphia, Cincinnati and Atlanta. That’s enough to make the most hardened DMV natives confident in the Commanders’ future. On top of that, the Commanders’ push for a stadium in the D.C. limits is gaining serious traction. With an eight-win jump, iconic wins and a lot of style in doing it, the Commanders’ season is worthy of an A+ mark.
2024 in a Nutshell: Commanders 36, Eagles 33. Jayden Daniels had zero quit in him against the Eagles, spearheading a 13-point Washington comeback and throwing five touchdowns in a walk-off victory at Northwest Stadium. On Daniels’ final pass from scrimmage, Jamison Crowder snagged a nine-yard dart with less than 10 seconds remaining for a much-needed divisional victory.
Detroit Lions (15-2, 1st in NFC North)
Grade: B+. The Lions fall short of an “A” grade due to no fault of their own. Detroit led the NFC wire-to-wire and captured the top seed in the conference with a Week 18 win over division rival Minnesota. That should be the launching pad for a dangerous Lions team, who have seen quarterback Jared Goff (37 passing touchdowns), running back Jahmyr Gibbs (16 rushing touchdowns) and wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown (1,263 receiving yards) blossom into one of the best offensive trios in the NFL. Rather, the issue is the injury bug, which has decimated the Lions’ roster from the start of the season to the win over the Vikings. Defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and running back David Montgomery are the toughest absences to stomach, but the Lions still have enough talent across the board to be considered a favorite to reach New Orleans.
2024 in a Nutshell: Lions 31, Vikings 9. I watched the first half of this Sunday Night Football battle from a Lions bar in south Denver, and the energy around this team felt so palpable. Gibbs led the charge with 139 rushing yards and four total touchdowns and the Lions’ undermanned defense flummoxed the potent Minnesota offense. Detroit played well in big moments in the regular season, and it will have plenty of those opportunities in the upcoming month.
Minnesota Vikings (14-3, 2nd in NFC North)
Grade: A. The Vikings absorbed the most damaging injury of the offseason, the loss of rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy, and proceeded to post one of the best regular seasons in franchise history. Backup-turned-Pro Bowler Sam Darnold was a revelation for the fourth team of his career, setting new season-bests in passing yards by over 1,250 passing yards, passing touchdowns by 16 scores and QBR by almost 10 points. The Vikings’ aggressive defense also exceeded all expectations with 49 sacks and 19.5 points allowed per game. The fact that Minnesota had the chance to take the top seed in the NFC would be unfathomable at the start of the season, but the Vikings proved their legitimacy as contenders week after week.
2024 in a Nutshell: Vikings 31, Packers 29. Minnesota going to Lambeau Field and beating the Packers by two points is as sweet as it gets for Vikings fans. The Viking defense intercepted Packers quarterback Jordan Love three times and Minnesota did just enough to avoid blowing a 28-0 lead. In doing so, they improved to 4-0 and moved closer to a season sweep of Green Bay.
Green Bay Packers (11-6, 3rd in NFC North)
Grade: B. After the excitement of a Wild Card Round win over the Cowboys, near upset of the 49ers and active offseason, the Packers’ 2024 season lacked that same glamour. But in the toughest division in football, Green Bay stayed afloat and established itself in the NFC playoff picture early on. Running back Josh Jacobs rushed for 1,329 yards and a career-high 15 scores in his first season with the Packers, while quarterback Jordan Love overcame health issues to lead Green Bay to key victories against the Rams, Texans, Dolphins and Seahawks. The Packers lost five of their six division games, and that weakness won’t go away in the postseason. But being a wild card team has worked out well for the Packers in the past.
2024 in a Nutshell: Packers 30, Seahawks 13. In a matchup between two playoff hopefuls, the visiting Packers built a 20-3 lead by halftime and did not look back. Green Bay outgained Seattle by 161 yards and won the turnover battle in a decisive victory.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers (10-7, 1st in NFC South)
Grade: B-. One word to describe the Buccaneers’ season: resilient. At one point, the entire organization had to relocate to avoid Hurricane Milton, then the Buccaneers posted their season high with 51 points in a win over the Saints. Even when the Falcons appeared to take a commanding lead in the NFC South with a season sweep of Tampa Bay, the Bucs kept chipping away and stacking wins. With six wins in their last seven games, Tampa Bay took back the NFC South title in resounding fashion. Quarterback Baker Mayfield was a standout performer with 4,500 passing yards, while the backfield duo of Bucky Irving and Rachaad White kept defenses guessing.
2024 in a Nutshell: Buccaneers 40, Chargers 17. Mayfield recorded four touchdown passes in this surprising shellacking of Los Angeles, which advanced Tampa Bay into real playoff contention and helped spark their late-season hot stretch. The Buccaneers scored on all five of their full second-half drives to turn a Chargers halftime lead into a Tampa Bay blowout.
Los Angeles Rams (10-7, 1st in NFC West)
Grade: B+. Someone had to win the NFC West, and the Rams turned out to be a deserving champion. The Rams tied with the Seahawks with 10 wins but made the playoffs on a tiebreaker, an incredible finish for a team that started with a 1-4 record and missed receivers Puka Nacua and Cooper Kupp for chunks of the season. Los Angeles posted a 4-2 record in its division and used a five-game win streak in the late fall to surge into the NFC West lead. Running back Kyren Williams improved on his breakout 2023 with 14 touchdowns and 1,299 rushing yards and Nacua flashed his brilliance when he was on the field. With the 49ers debilitated by injuries and the Cardinals and Seahawks derailed by inconsistency, the Rams used their experience and offensive firepower to eke out a playoff berth.
2024 in a Nutshell: Every game turned into a must-win over the second half of the season, and the Rams’ effort against the Buffalo Bills presented their case as one of the best teams in the league, let alone their division. Quarterback Matthew Stafford helped the Rams build a 38-21 lead, and a Stafford-to-Nacua touchdown connection just after the two-minute warning gave Los Angeles control in a 44-42 win.
Riker's Block 
Great review!!! I like Mandy’s contribution!!!
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