3 Most Likely Teams to End Their NFL Playoff Droughts in 2021

Making the NFL playoffs is the goal for every team when the season kicks off in September. However, only 14 out of the 30 teams are able to achieve that goal every year. A number of squads across the league continue to play through playoff droughts in which they cannot seem to get over the hump.

The 2021 season is up for grabs in many different ways and adding a 17th game to the schedule changes everything. With that being said, here are three of the most likely teams to end their playoff droughts in 2020.

NFL Playoff Droughts

1. Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins just barely missed reaching the postseason last year when they finished with a 10-6 record and lost out due to a tiebreaker. Head coach Brian Flores and company have not made the playoffs since 2016, but they have the pieces in place to make some noise this season. The Dolphins have thrived off their physically tough defense and are coming off a season in which they ranked No. 4 in the NFL by giving up just 21.1 points per game. If second-year quarterback Tua Tagovailoa can take a step up, Miami has a shot to give the Buffalo Bills a run for their money in the AFC East division.

2. Denver Broncos

Hall-of-Famer Peyton Manning led the Denver Broncos to a Super Bowl title during the 2015 season. That is the last time the Broncos reached the postseason as they have finished under .500 in each of the previous four seasons. The 2021 season comes with high hopes for this Denver squad given a number of their defensive leaders are playing on contract years. Expect them to go all out behind a defensive-minded head coach in Vic Fangio. When it comes down to it, this team will only go as far as its starting quarterback will take them. Except nobody knows who that is yet.

3. New York Giants

There may not be a more wide-open division in the NFL than the NFC East. Washington took home the title last season despite finishing with a 7-9 record. The New York Giants have failed to live up to expectations over the last few years and haven't reached the playoffs since 2016. On the bright side, Daniel Jones has looked impressive during training camp and the offense is set to get back a fully healthy Saquon Barkley. The Giants also made some moves to address a struggling offensive line and that may be the key to ending their playoff drought this season.

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Larry Rupp is not a FanDuel employee. In addition to providing DFS gameplay advice, Larry Rupp also participates in DFS contests on FanDuel using his personal account, username phillyfan424. While the strategies and player selections recommended in his articles are his personal views, he may deploy different strategies and player selections when entering contests with his personal account. The views expressed in their articles are the author's alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of FanDuel.