With the 2024 NFL Draft in the books, most of the personnel moves that teams will make have been made ahead of this fall’s regular season. Trades are still a possibility, and there are unsigned veterans and undrafted free agents that could still join teams, but for the most part, rosters are basically set. There are some teams that are still in the basement of the NFL because of the sheer amount of rebuilding to do. One of those is the Denver Broncos, who drafted Bo Nix to join a quarterback room that already had Zach Wilson and Jarrett Stidham. The Broncos are basically waiting for Russell Wilson’s awful contract to work its way through the books before they can start work on their next contender. The Carolina Panthers did give Bryce Young some help by adding Diontae Johnson, Xavier Legette and Jonathon Brooks. So their offense will be somewhat better, but we still don’t know what Young’s NFL ceiling might be. Let’s take a look at some teams that are ready to surprise observers by creeping into the NFL playoffs picks this season as you plan your online betting for this fall.
NFL Playoffs Picks: Sleeper Teams Poised to Break into the 2024 Postseason
New York Jets Playoff Pick -135
The Jets are currently riding a 13-year playoff drought. They started 2023 optimistically, but then Aaron Rodgers went down with a torn Achilles tendon just a few minutes into the season opener. The Jets somehow managed to creep to the edge of postseason eligibility despite having to use the likes of Zach Wilson, Tim Boyle and Trevor Siemian at quarterback, so having Rodgers back and healthy is a major upgrade. The team took another significant step at quarterback by adding a veteran backup in Tyrod Taylor. At tailback, Breece Hall showed explosive speed and power in 2023, but the team still elected to add depth in the fourth round (Braelon Allen) and the fifth round (Isaiah Davis) in the draft. Depth at running back is essential in an NFL where ACLs tear every week, and so the Jets have filled that need. At wide receiver, they added Mike Williams via free agency from the Chargers on a one-year deal, and they drafted Malachi Corley in the third round. Along with Garrett Wilson, Allen Lazard, Jason Brownlee and Xavier Gipson, that’s a fairly deep corps. How quickly can Corley contribute as a rookie? One of Aaron Rodgers’ traits is improving his receivers quickly. The O-line has three new starters: guard John Simpson as well as tackles Morgan Moses and Tyron Smith. In the first round, they took Olu Fashanu. They could use a backup center, and Connor McGovern is still on the free agent market.
On the defensive side of the ball, the edge rusher group lost John Franklin-Myers and Bryce Huff, but the team added Haason Reddick, and Will McDonald will get to advance to the starting group. The interior of the defensive line might actually regress a bit as Quinton Jefferson has departed. Franklin-Myers could slide inside; even though the team added Leki Fotu and Javon Kinlaw, depth could be an issue. The linebacker group has two solid starters in Quincy Williams and C.J. Mosley and two depth contributors in Chazz Surratt and Jamien Sherwood. At cornerback, the starters are elite – Michael Carter II, Sauce Gardner, and D.J. Reed. Depth might be an issue; Qwan’tez Stiggers came in the fifth round of the draft and has CFL experience. Isaiah Oliver will back up Carter at nickel back. The safety group might be the weakest. Chuck Clark lost the 2023 season to a torn ACL, and Tony Adams had an inconsistent first season but returns as a starter. The third safety is Ashtyn Davis. Such free agents as Micah Hyde, Eddie Jackson and Justin Simmons are still asking for too much money at this point, but we will see how the market turns.
NFL Lines for 2024 Season
Chicago Bears Playoff Pick -125
The Bears had an elite defense down the stretch in 2023. They got Caleb Williams with the top overall pick at quarterback. That’s not the first time the Bears have used a high draft pick to get a quarterback; in fact, they just traded the last one, Justin Fields, to Pittsburgh. The difference is that the Bears have also given Williams an elite wide receiver group, drafting Rome Odunze to join free agent Keenan Allen and D.J. Moore. Could the Bears actually dominate games with their passing? We wrote more about the Bears’ moves in the introduction to our article about teams that are likely to end Super Bowl droughts, so check that out to get more insights about their offseason, but this is a team that might actually be a disappointment if it doesn’t get a wild-card playoff berth.
NFL Lines for 2024 Season
Atlanta Falcons Playoff Pick -310
The Falcons almost won the NFC South last year despite getting quarterback play that was mediocre at best. The team opened the vault for Kirk Cousins, luring him south after Cousins found out that the Minnesota Vikings were planning to draft a quarterback (which they did, in J.J. McCarthy. Cousins brings more than capable quarterback play, although he has a way of falling apart when the pressure gets intense in the playoffs. In a division like the NFC South, though, his contributions could be enough. The locker room chemistry could be tough, though, after the Falcons went out and got Michael Penix Jr in the first round. The quarterback who led the University of Washington to an appearance in the CFP championship game against Michigan by cooking the defense of the University of Texas in the national semifinal, should do well in the NFL, but the Falcons’ decision to choose him, along with other decisions in the ddraft, earned the team a “D” in NFL.com’s draft ratings.
The Falcons had eight selections in the draft. They picked five players to bolster their front seven on defense, Penix, and tailback Jase McClellan and wide receiver Casey Washington. The Falcons could have taken a heavy hitter on defense in the first round; they had the #8 pick in the draft. Instead, they took Penix despite the fact that both the head coach, Raheem Morris, and the GM, Terry Fontenot, saying that they envision Cousins starting at quarterback for three or four seasons. That means that the team spent a top-ten pick on a player that the team views as a fairly long-term backup. In a division that Tampa Bay won in 2023 at 9-8 and in 2022 at 8-9, the Falcons became the favorites to win in 2024 after inking Cousins to that $180 million deal (with $100 million guaranteed). The team has said that they are following the pattern that the Green Bay Packers had, setting up a succession plan at quarterback. However, when the Packers drafted Jordan Love, that set in motion a series of events that led to Aaron Rodgers getting annoyed with the team and eventually leaving. Love looks like a potential keeper at quarterback, but the chemistry issues that the choice to draft Love caused may have kept the Packers from getting a championship late in Rodgers’ time with the team. It will be interesting to see what unfolds in Atlanta. With Cousins at the helm, though, barring a collapse in team chemistry, the Falcons are a team that should win the NFC South…and return to the postseason.
NFL Lines for 2024 Season
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NFL Playoffs Picks 2023 Sleepers
In the summer before each NFL season, sports betting enthusiasts start figuring out who will make the playoffs each year. In recent years, such teams as the Green Bay Packers, the San Francisco 49ers and the Los Angeles Rams have been perennial favorites in the NFC, with the Kansas City Chiefs, the Buffalo Bills, and the Cincinnati Bengals listed at top the NFL odds list in the AFC. There’s not much value in picking those teams to advance; you can make a lot more money from your wagering if you can find a sleeper to get to the postseason. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that the Cincinnati Bengals were in the league’s basement, but the arrival of Joe Burrow, Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins has turned them into a contender. Last year, the New York Giants and the Jacksonville Jaguars were sub-.500 teams in 2021, but they both advanced to the divisional round of the playoffs last year. Which sleepers should you look at in 2023? Here are some suggestions.
NFL Betting News: 2023 Sleepers to Consider in Your Playoff Betting
NFL Playoffs Picks Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers were able to get through rookie quarterback Kenny Pickett’s baptism into life in the NFL. He had a 7:9 TD:INT ratio through 13 games, throwing for 2,404 yars and completing 63 percent of his passes. However, the Steelers won seven of the 12 games he started, learning to minimize the damage from his mistakes.
Going into this season, Jaylen Warren and Najee Harris make up a solid tailback tandem, and George Pickens, Allen Robinson II and Diontae Johnson are a reliable trio of wideouts. Tight end Pat Freiermuth has shown a high ceiling in his first two seasons, so having that additional NFL savvy should pay off and make him an even more dangerous target. The team drafted Broderick Jones in the first round to start at left tackle, and they added Isaac Seumalo and Nate Herbig via free agency to give Pickett even more protection.
The Steelers’ defense didn’t have many holes; in 2022, they ranked in the bottom ten in the NFL in yards permitted per game for the first half of the season, but they made adjustments and ranked fifth in that metric in the second half. They drafted Joey Porter Jr in the second round and added undrafted free agent Keeanu Benton to give the Steel Curtain some depth. The Steelers are in a tough AFC North, but they have the mental toughness to deal with Cleveland and the talent to give Baltimore and Cincinnati a fight.
NFL Playoffs Picks Detroit Lions
Did you know that John F. Kennedy was President of the United States the last time the Detroit Lions won a playoff game? They mounted a furious rally in the second half of the 2022 season but just ended up on the wrong side of the postseason, and they added talent on both sides of the ball. They did make a mystifying personnel decision by trading D’Andre Swift to Philadelphia for basically nothing, but they took Jahmyr Gibbs with the 12th overall pick, giving them tailback talent. They also had the #18 pick, and they used that to get an off-ball linebacker who wowed scouts at the combine and also has the intangible leadership qualities that match the chemistry of the Lions. Later in the draft, they added tight end Sam LaPorta and safety Brian Branch – and they expect them to contribute right away.
Branch wasn’t the only addition in the secondary; the Lions got absolutely torched in the passing game last year, permitting the third-most passing yards per contest. They brought in cornerbacks Emmanuel Moseley and Cameron Sutton, as well as nickel back/safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson. On offense, Marvin Jones Jr returns as a depth receiver, and David Montgomery adds depth at tailback.
So what about Jared Goff? He went 9-8 as the starter in 2023, throwing 29 touchdown passes and stacking up 4,438 yards through the air. The team drafted Malik Hooker in the third round, but they view him as an insurance option rather than as a competitor to start. If Goff can keep up the level of play he showed in the second half of 2023, the Lions should be a playoff team – and they might even sneak away with an NFC North title.
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