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In 2021, the Jacksonville Jaguars finished last place in their division with a 3-14 record. Just one year later, they finished atop the AFC South with a record of 9-8 and even won a playoff game. The Bengals accomplished the same feat of going from “worst-to-first” in 2021 and managed to make the Super Bowl. It seems that nearly every year there is a team that manages to turn things around in an instant.
Today’s Question of the Day is...
Which NFL team is most likely to go from worst-to-first in their division in 2023?
Here is the list of all of the teams that finished last in their division last year:
- New York Jets (7-10)
- Cleveland Browns (7-10)
- Houston Texans (3-13-1)
- Denver Broncos (5-12)
- Washington Commanders (8-8-1)
- Chicago Bears (3-14)
- Atlanta Falcons (7-10)
- Arizona Cardinals (4-13)
At first glance, it feels like the Jets are the most obvious choice with Aaron Rodgers coming to town, plus an already stout defense. The Jets started 7-4 last year and nearly made the playoffs, but lost their last six games in a row to miss out. That likely would have been a different story had they had anywhere near close to average quarterback play for most of the season.
That being said, it felt like last year the Baltimore Ravens were the obvious choice, and they even received 35 percent of the vote behind the Detroit Lions in our poll last year. Instead, the Jaguars—who only received 16 out of 1,196 total votes—managed to be the only team to go from worst-to-first in their division.
If a team were to make that unexpected jump this year, my bet would be on the Atlanta Falcons. They’re in a similar situation as the Jaguars were last year where the rest of the division isn’t looking too daunting right now, and if they can pull off around nine wins, that could be enough to win the division, with some luck. The Browns and Commanders are two other teams that could make some big strides, but it will be hard for them to surpass some of their division rivals, as both of those divisions feel stacked.
Vote for your choice in the poll below, and scroll down to the comment section at the bottom of this page to explain why!
Poll
Which NFL team is most likely to go from worst-to-first in their division this year?
This poll is closed
-
32%
New York Jets
(309 votes) -
9%
Cleveland Browns
(91 votes) -
3%
Houston Texans
(38 votes) -
9%
Denver Broncos
(90 votes) -
3%
Washington Commanders
(29 votes) -
5%
Chicago Bears
(49 votes) -
35%
Atlanta Falcons
(340 votes) -
1%
Arizona Cardinals
(15 votes)
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