NFL Power Rankings: Colts fall, Steelers rise, Redskins stagnate

Postseason Hopefuls

These teams could end up making the playoffs but also have some weaknesses that could prevent them from making the run this year.

17. Indianapolis Colts – Previously 4. Lo, how the mighty have fallen! In all seriousness, Andrew Luck’s retirement should put to bed any Super Bowl hopes the Colts had. On the bright side, Jacoby Brissett has upside, the team has an elite offensive line, and their defense is better than many give them credit for. Playing in the AFC South, they still should have a chance to compete for a division title (though their chances of making the postseason outside of that are slim).

18. Denver Broncos – Previously 22. The Broncos could be a sleeper team this year. They aren’t getting a lot of love, which is reasonable considering that they’re in a division featuring the Chargers and the Chiefs, but their defense has the potential to be elite under Vic Fangio. If Joe Flacco can at least be efficient behind an improved offensive line, they’ll have a chance to be a wild card team.

19. New York Jets – Previously 17. Sam Darnold’s development will be key to giving the Jets a chance to make the playoffs. His upgraded protection (Ryan Kalil was signed to play center) and receiving weapons (Jamison Crowder came over from the Redskins) should improve the offense. The defense looks fine, but they have some holes on the edge as third-round pick Jachai Polite was released and the team lacks corner talent outside of Trumaine Johnson. If nobody steps up to fill those holes, the Jets may only be a middle of the pack team. If they do fill them, they’ll have a shot at a wild card berth.

20. Minnesota Vikings – Previously 19. On paper, the Vikings look like a good team. However, as they proved last year, they weren’t very efficient. Kirk Cousins has issues winning against top-tier teams, so playing in a division with the Bears and Packers caps their potential. So too does their lack of solid coverage linebackers and their mediocre offensive live.

21. Houston Texans – Previously 18. Bill O’Brien has made some, shall we say, curious moves in the past few days. Trading for Laremy Tunsil upgraded their protection, but they gave up a king’s ransom to get an above-average tackle. Tunsil will help on the left side, but the rest of the line still isn’t very good. Additionally, they gave up Jadeveon Clowney for pennies on the dollar. They also suffered some downgrades in the secondary this offseason in losing Kareem Jackson and Tyrann Mathieu and lost running back Lamar Miller to injury.

The Texans are a prime candidate to disappoint and O’Brien’s seat could get hot if they struggle out of the gate. Deshaun Watson might be able to carry them to the postseason again, but after getting sacked 62 times last year, he’ll have to be careful not to take as many hits or he could continue to suffer nagging injuries.