Why each of the 4 Wild Card Round losers can make it back to the NFL playoffs next season

The Texans, Titans, Vikings, and Seahawks are all through to the Divisional Round of the playoffs. The Bills, Patriots, Saints, and Eagles are not. The playoffs will continue unabated, while the four losers from the opening weekend will begin their offseason.

What’s interesting now is where these four teams go from here.

We often talk about teams having “windows” of competition — moments in time where they are fueled up for a run at the Super Bowl. Did that window close for any of the four teams that were bounced out in the Wild Card Round?

If recent history is any indication, the answer is no. Last year, the four Wild Card Round losers were the Texans, Seahawks, Ravens, and Bears. The first three of teams didn’t just make it back to the playoffs — they’ll be playing in the Divisional Round, too.

Even if they fell short of their ultimate goal, here’s why this year’s early-exit playoff teams should all feel good going into next season.

Josh Allen is improving and that’s huge. The Bills’ second-year quarterback finished the 2019 season with 3,089 passing yards, 20 touchdowns, and nine interceptions while rushing for another 510 yards and nine touchdowns. All of his passing numbers were better than in his rookie season, with his completion percentage jumping a full six points and his passer rating going from 67.9 to 85.3.

He had his share of iffy moments, especially when he tried to do too much — like in the playoff loss to the Texans when he lost a critical fumble and almost had another. But the positives outweigh the negatives, and Allen looks like he either is or can become the franchise quarterback.

Last offseason, Buffalo made good decisions by adding John Brown, Cole Beasley, and Devin Singletary to help Allen. Now the Bills could use a home-run hitter for Allen and the ever-expanding offense. When the Texans staged their comeback from down 16-0, the Bills needed a playmaker, and nobody was able to step up. Another young, dynamic player could change that.

There’s an issue on the other side of the ball, too. The Bills boasted an aggressive defense that yielded 44 sacks and was second in the league in points allowed, behind only the Patriots. However, two of their best players, Shaq Lawson and Jordan Phillips, are set to hit free agency. Having linemen like Ed Oliver, Jerry Hughes, Star Lotulelei, and Trent Murphy helps, but Lawson and Phillips were standouts who combined for 16 sacks in 2019.

Fortunately, the Bills have a lot of cap space — nearly $90 million — to account for some of their potential departures. If they can retain or replace at least one of those guys, there will still be plenty left over to bring in an offensive weapon while extending some of their younger players.

Sure, it’s possible that Tom Brady retires or goes elsewhere in this, the 75th year of his career. But it seems more likely that the Patriots organization would stick with the future Hall of Famer who has brought them so much success. It’s not like New England is devoid of talent outside of the greatest quarterback to ever do it, either.

Julian Edelman is still going strong into his 12th NFL season, and a full offseason alongside 2019 first-round pick N’Keal Harry and veteran Mohamed Sanu should help the receiving corps greatly. Even so, the Patriots will need to bring in another receiver, not to mention a tight end to take over for Benjamin Watson, who ineffectively replaced Rob Gronkowski.

The offensive line could use some reinforcement, though it mostly just needs everyone to stay healthy. All-Pro center David Andrews missed the season with an injury, and left tackle Isaiah Wynn was out for eight games early in the season.

Most of the offensive problems can be fixed in a single offseason. Getting the receivers to be more consistent and cohesive as a unit, plus offensive line help, will make a huge difference. The New England offense will still be in good shape if Brady returns.

That brings things to the defense, where the Patriots are still very good. They led the league in turnover differential at plus-21, and really their only weakness is at the edge rusher position. There aren’t many big names on expiring deals— Devin McCourty (32) and Jamie Collins (30) are the main ones, and they stand a solid chance of being retained or are replaceable if they depart. There’s every reason to expect Defensive Player of the Year candidate Stephon Gilmore to lead the secondary to greatness again.

The things that defined the Patriots’ loss to the Titans in the playoffs were mostly just mistakes. Brady had a pick-six with the game on the line. A 38-yard gain in the third quarter was wiped out by an ineligible man downfield penalty. Both Harry and Edelman had key drops. It was an ugly game, but not one that screams “this team is finished for good.”

Like Brady, Drew Brees is set to be an unrestricted free agent this offseason. Unlike Brady, Brees didn’t look slowed down by any metric in 2019 (though he did miss five games with an injury). He is getting more efficient in the latter stages of career, leading the NFL in completion percentage in each of his last three seasons. In 2019, Brees completed 74.3 percent of his passes with 27 touchdowns against just four interceptions while playing in 11 games.

Despite turning 41 soon, Brees didn’t sound like someone who was planning to leave when he spoke to reporters in his postgame press conference following the loss to the Vikings.

So if Brees is back, what’s the biggest concern? For one, the Saints need to ensure they get him a capable backup, whether it’s still Teddy Bridgewater or someone else. Bridgewater will be a free agent and after going 5-0 while filling in for Brees, he could be signed by another team to compete for a starting job.

With All-Pro Michael Thomas leading the league in receiving yards (1,725) and receptions (setting a new NFL record with 149), New Orleans has the QB-WR combination it needs to continue being a top-10 offense like it’s been for 14 straight seasons now.

On defense, the top order for the Saints is looking at who they can keep with limited cap space. Guys like Eli Apple, A.J. Klein, David Onyemata, Vonn Bell, and P.J. Williams are all set to be free agents. However, defensive linemen Marcus Davenport and Sheldon Rankins will be back and healthy after injuries kept them out of the postseason.

As long as Brees and Michael Thomas are there, the Saints should make it to the playoffs. Overall, though, this is a very complete team. They went 13-3 and they didn’t have any glaring deficiencies — at least until they ran into the Vikings in the playoffs to lose another heartbreaker.

Well, that was a really crappy way for the season to end for Carson Wentz. The Eagles quarterback had to leave during the second possession of his first playoff appearance after a controversial hit from Jadeveon Clowney knocked Wentz out of the game.

Even though Wentz had been hurt at the end of the previous two seasons, it’s unfair to label him as injury-prone after that hit. It’s also rather pointless: Philadelphia is committed to its franchise quarterback, who guided the team to four straight wins despite the offense being absolutely decimated by injuries.

By the end of the season, all three of the Eagles’ top receivers were injured, the running backs depth chart was depleted, and even trusty tight end Zach Ertz was still not 100 percent recovered from a lacerated kidney.

In the playoffs, the Eagles were missing two starters along the offensive line, and their receiving corps was made up of players who had recently been promoted from the practice squad. Yet, they still had a chance to beat the Seahawks even with 40-year-old backup Josh McCown at quarterback.

This offseason, the focus will be on getting some help at key positions. They need a game-changing receiver first and foremost. Alshon Jeffery is good, but he just underwent foot surgery and is coming off a disappointing season. Nelson Agholor is hitting free agency. DeSean Jackson proved he still has something left in the tank, though he’s 33 years old and only played in three games.

After that, the Eagles could use a high-end cornerback, and some other defensive depth. In all, this team has a lot of the right pieces, however. What the Eagles need to do more than anything is figure out why so much talent struggled to win games even before the injuries started piling up.

Still, the fact that they showed resilience to make it to the playoffs is something they can hang their hat on.

Philadelphia won the NFC East over Dallas, who will be its top competition next season as well. The Cowboys may have some growing pains with new coach Mike McCarthy, or he might turn them back into a contender. Either way, the Eagles should be able to make it back to the playoffs next season ... if they can stay healthy.