NFL Teams Ready to Break into the Postseason in 2018

Last season served as a prequel to each NFL team's journey toward the upcoming campaign. Organizations aren't allowed to live in the past; they can only learn from previous successes or failures. 

As Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote, "Life is a journey, not a destination." 

Those words provide an important lesson since a franchise's destination can change and provide a surprising result. Eight of last season's 12 playoff squads, including the reigning Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles, didn't earn a postseason berth the previous year. Similar turnover occurs every season. 

As such, the league's offseason turns into a chess match between 32 different masters trying to best position their organizations.

Time and a little luck are needed for teams to properly build their rosters, maintain talent and develop enough chemistry to compete at a championship level. One of the required steps is becoming competitive enough to parlay on-field performance into a postseason appearance. 

Five franchises with a combined 29-51 record last season are well-positioned and ready to jump into light speed toward something new and exciting.

Chicago Bears

Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images

The Chicago Bears are the team most likely to experience a Sean McVay-style bump. 

The Los Angeles Rams hired McVay, a promising young offensive mind, a year ago. His fresh ideas sent ripples throughout the organization and helped lead to a seven-game improvement in the win-loss column. 

Matt Nagy's hire has the makings of creating a similar turnaround.  

Like McVay, Nagy is a formidable offensive mind who plans to build around a top quarterback prospect by implementing spread offensive concepts and increasing the tempo. 

"The combination of [offensive coordinator Mark] Helfrich and Coach Nagy is just tremendous about ways to attack defenses and having different ways to do it, that makes sense to players and doesn't confuse them," offensive line coach Harry Hiestand said, per NBC Sports Chicago's JJ Stankevitz. 

Mitchell Trubisky's first-year struggles will be forgotten once he establishes a comfort level in a system that better suits his skill set. Also, general manager Ryan Pace made sure the second-year signal-caller has plenty of talented options to exploit by acquiring wide receivers Allen Robinson, Taylor Gabriel and Anthony Miller and tight end Trey Burton. 

In a brilliant move, Nagy retained the entire defensive staff after the D finished 10th overall in yards allowed. And the Bears added linebackers Aaron Lynch and Roquan Smith to make the group even better.

Denver Broncos

David Zalubowski/Associated Press

The Super Bowl-winning, Peyton Manning-led version of the Denver Broncos seems so long ago even though it's only been 28 months since the organization hoisted its third Lombardi Trophy. Multiple key contributors are still with the team. General manager John Elway had to reconfigure some of the other parts to maximize what was already on the roster. 

Manning retired after the 2016 season, and Denver didn't find a proper replacement in the last two seasons. Quarterback play was the main reason the team bottomed out with a 5-11 record last year. Case Keenum's addition this offseason once again provides Denver with a stable veteran presence at the game's most important position. 

"Case is working hard," offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave said, per 247Sports' Chad Jensen. "It's a new system for him. It's a new system for everybody. But Case is getting exclusively all the reps with the ones. We're not splitting them like you would if you didn't have an established starter. So, he's getting more concentrated work, and it's paying dividends."

Elway didn't stop after he signed Keenum. The general manager drafted running back Royce Freeman and wide receivers Courtland Sutton and DaeSean Hamilton. 

But those picks came later in the process. This year's fifth overall pick, defensive end Bradley Chubb, adds to an already ferocious defense that was third in yards allowed per game but tied for 22nd in points allowed—an effect of the offense putting it in bad positions.  

"He's great," six-time Pro Bowl linebacker Von Miller said of Chubb, per SB Nation's Tim Lynch. "He reminds me of myself." 

Houston Texans

Eric Gay/Associated Press

The Houston Texans weren't healthy last season. The 2017 Walter Payton Man of the Year, J.J. Watt, played five games and never looked like his old self before suffering a left leg fracture. The team also caught lightning in a bottle with quarterback Deshaun Watson in the lineup before the rookie tore an ACL. 

According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, both are recovering well and neither is expected to enter training camp on the physically unable to perform list. 

With those two franchise cornerstones in place, the healing can begin for the rest of the roster. 

Offensive line, in particular, required a reset. Three new starters—Senio Kelemete, Seantrel Henderson and Zach Fulton—are now in place alongside Nick Martin and Julie'n Davenport. Watson is a dynamic runner out of the backfield, but the Texans would prefer he not run as much this fall. 

"I feel like as an O-line, we're going to set a standard here," Kelemete said, per ESPN.com's Sarah Barshop. "We're going to be able to run the ball when we want to run the ball and we're going to be able to pass-protect and protect Deshaun Watson."

Maybe the offensive line will set the tone for the offense, but the defense remains formidable, especially with a healthy Watt and the addition of defensive back Tyrann Mathieu.

Los Angeles Chargers

Alex Gallardo/Associated Press

The AFC West is changing, and the Los Angeles Chargers are in perfect position to capitalize. 

Andy Reid and the Kansas City Chiefs won two straight division titles and made the postseason in four of the last five seasons. Alex Smith is no longer the team's quarterback, though, and Patrick Mahomes is bound to experience some ups and downs during his first season as an NFL starter. 

Any regression will help the Chargers. Philip Rivers and Co. have seemingly been on the precipice of the playoffs for multiple seasons yet have found new ways to lose games each year. 

The veteran quarterback has as much talent around him now than at any point this decade. Keenan Allen finished third overall last season with 1,393 receiving yards. Melvin Gordon finally broke through with 1,105 rushing yards. The offensive line will be improved with guard Forrest Lamp healthy and the addition of center Mike Pouncey. 

Even tight end Hunter Henry's season-ending knee injury can't dampen the Chargers' spirit. 

"We've got a deep group of receivers—does that mean there's more times when we're in a three-receiver set or even four receivers? I don't know," Rivers said of Allen, Travis Benjamin, Tyrell Williams and Mike Williams, per the San Diego Union-Tribune's Mike DiGiovanna. "I'm not giving away any secrets, but those are all thoughts that you have."

Add the game's best pass-rushing duo (Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram) into the mix, and the Chargers aren't just looking to garner a playoff spot; they're division favorites. 

San Francisco 49ers

Tony Avelar/Associated Press

The Jimmy Garoppolo era is set to begin, and the San Francisco 49ers are along for the ride. Last year's 5-0 finish means nothing at this point, but the confidence the 49ers built during that period can't be measured. 

Past performance can be a predictor of future success. Garoppolo is a perfect example. 

"I knew [he was going to play well] because I was with the Patriots and he would shred our defense every day," defensive end Cassius Marsh told the San Francisco Chronicle's Eric Branch. "He'd shred the first team every day, and it looked no different than when Tom [Brady] was on the field. He’s a much better athlete than Tom; he’s super disciplined and works hard."

With a franchise quarterback in place, San Francisco became a destination city for free agents.

Weston Richburg will anchor the offensive line at center. Jerick McKinnon is the team's new lead back and an ideal fit in Kyle Shanahan's zone-stretch scheme. Richard Sherman, meanwhile, gives the 49ers a top corner and the perfect veteran option to teach and solidify defensive coordinator Robert Saleh's Cover 3 scheme. 

In the NFL draft, they grabbed supplementary pieces such as right tackle Mike McGlinchey and receiver/returner Dante Pettis.

The 49ers are far from a finished product, but a relatively weak NFC West (behind the Rams, of course) will help expedite their process.