5 Under-the-Radar NFL Teams Poised for Playoff Season

Each year, a handful of teams seem to exceed their expectations and put together a playoff season. Last year, they were the Seattle Seahawks and Washington Redskins. Who knows who they could be in 2013? 

After reviewing all of Week 1’s games, five teams stick out when it comes to franchises that could unexpectedly put together a playoff push. Some were winners, and others were losers in Week 1, but they all showed something that could launch them toward a promising year. 

One thing that distinguishes the teams on this list is that four of them have a new head coach and/or quarterback. 

If at least one of these teams makes it to the postseason, then it would continue one of the NFL’s newest trends—a rookie coach making it to the playoffs. Last year, Chuck Pagano did it with the Indianapolis Colts, while Jim Harbaugh did it with the San Francisco 49ers in 2011 and Pete Carroll did it with the Seahawks in 2010. 

History has told us that you can’t count any team out this early in the season, so here are five under-the-radar teams that end up making the playoffs.

 

Detroit Lions

The Detroit Lions are coming off a convincing win over the Minnesota Vikings, a playoff team from a year ago. 

Detroit’s offense looks much improved, largely due to the addition of Reggie Bush in free agency. He’s coming off one of his better seasons and still has plenty of gas in the tank. He will provide what the Lions hoped Jahvid Best would give the team before he got hurt.

Aside from their offensive successes, the Lions defense is also improved. Detroit held the reigning MVP of the league, Adrian Peterson, to just 93 yards, 78 of which came on a touchdown run early in the game. Holding a man who  rushed for more than 2,000 yards a year ago to a mere fraction of his per-game average is quite the feat. 

The cherry on top in Detroit is Matthew Stafford. The fifth-year gunslinger has put together a few good years on his own, but now he finally has a solid team around him and won’t have to carry the offense all by himself. 

There’s almost no way the Lions will win their division while Aaron Rodgers is around, but they have a chance to string together a few wins and possibly earn a wild-card spot in the NFC.

Philadelphia Eagles

For an offense that many said would fail miserably in the NFL, Chip Kelly’s system looked pretty good against a solid Washington defense last Monday night. Kelly’s offense is headed by veteran quarterback Michael Vick, speedster wideout DeSean Jackson and star running back LeSean McCoy, three players who showcased their speed. 

The rhythm and speed that his offense requires are so methodical and fast-paced that the Redskins had a hard time keeping up. Not only did it confuse the Redskins defense, but it also wore out the defenders quickly. If this is a sign of things to come in "Chipadelphia," then defense coordinators have a new nightmare to prepare for. 

The biggest surprise of Philly’s game, however, was not the experimental offense; it was the defense. Expectations weren’t high for Billy Davis’ squad, but they made Robert Griffin III and the rest of Washington’s offense look pedestrian at best. 

We don’t know how much of Washington's lack of production was related to RG3’s rust, but it’s evident that Davis’ defense is a tough one. 

Through a new-look offense and defense, the Eagles could steal a seemingly weakened NFC East right out from their rivals’ clutches.

San Diego Chargers

For a long time, people blamed former San Diego Chargers head coach Norv Turner for the team’s misfortunes, but now that he’s gone, there should be no more excuses, right?

Wrong. 

They fell apart late in their Monday night game against the Houston Texans and looked like the Chargers of old under Turner’s tutelage.

So, why would this point to a possible playoff run? Progress—the progress Philip Rivers has made so far under new head coach Mike McCoy is immense, and it doesn’t show signs of slowing. 

Rivers is more of a gunslinger than anything, but unfortunately he has been looking Favre-like in recent years. He had big numbers but bigger mistakes that led to losses. Now, under McCoy, he looks as efficient as ever and is on pace for another good year. 

Let’s not forget whom he was playing against last week either: The Houston Texans have one of the league’s best defenses. Houston boasts arguably the most impactful defender in the NFL in J.J. Watt, and Rivers still had a good game. San Diego lost by a small margin to a very good team, which is something to be hopeful about. 

I mean, if this was a year ago, would the Chargers have kept it that close? I doubt it. 

What will also work in the Bolts’ favor is their relatively easy schedule—they will only be playing three playoff teams from a year ago. In addition, nine of the games left on the schedule are against teams that were 8-8 or worse last season, which gives them an opportunity to pile up some victories and snag a wild-card spot. 

Arizona Cardinals

The New York Jets may have held the moniker for ugliest quarterback situation in the NFL last year, but the Arizona Cardinals weren’t far behind. They juggled between Kevin Kolb, Jon Skelton, Ryan Lindley and Brian Hoyer as their starting quarterback last year. None of them made a positive impression at all. 

Arizona hired Bruce Arians as the new head coach this past offseason, and he brought in a guy in Carson Palmer who is more than capable of leading this team to the postseason. Palmer had a terrible supporting cast in Oakland the past few years yet still passed for more than 4,000 yards and 22 touchdowns last season. 

Now that he’s taken his talents to Flagstaff, he has a trio of talented wide receivers, a dependable running game and a Top 10 defense. It is the best overall team he’s had in years. With the awesome offensive mind of Arians in control, Palmer could have another career year in 2013, conjuring up some of the magic Arizona used with Kurt Warner a few years back. 

Given the competitiveness of the division and the tough teams on the schedule, it’s clear the Cardinals have their work cut out for them, but don’t give up on them just yet. 

They have the pieces they need to make a playoff run, and if they can pull off an upset or two, they could find themselves in the playoff race. Don’t sleep on the Cardinals this year.

Kansas City Chiefs

They may not have made many splash moves this past offseason, but the Kansas City Chiefs have quietly assembled a stout team. 

They added several pieces to their defense, including Dunta Robinson, Sean Smith and Mike DeVito. Kansas City also solidified its offense when it used the first overall pick to select Eric Fisher and also re-signed Pro Bowl wideout Dwayne Bowe. 

The Bowe signing was especially significant because he will be a convenient security blanket for Alex Smith as he gains chemistry with the rest of his receivers. 

Add in the type of coach that new boss Andy Reid is, and the Chiefs are automatically one of the most dangerous teams in the AFC. 

Their revamped defense held the Jacksonville Jaguars to a measly two points last week. It doesn’t matter how bad your opponent is, if it can’t even make a field goal, then you have more than done your job in stopping it. 

The kicker here is that the Chiefs also have All-Pro running back Jamaal Charles, one of the most underrated runners in the NFL. Although he’s been hampered with injuries recently, he now has the best offensive line he’s had since coming into the league and will likely flourish because of it.

From top to bottom, Kansas City has done a complete 180 from where it was last season, and it has a great chance at becoming a playoff team this year.