Three Potential Sleeper Teams For The 2024 NFL Season
There are plenty of intriguing storylines heading into the 2024 NFL season, including a few from teams I consider to be better than they're getting credit for. Can Jordan Love make a deep playoff run in his second year as a starter? Will the AFC South have the most exciting battle for the division winner? Here are the answers to those questions from three NFL squads that could be 'sleeper' teams during the 2024 season.
Green Bay Packers
The Packers will quickly become a team that most other fanbases will learn to hate. It's unfair to have Brett Farve and Aaron Rodgers play for a combined 34 seasons, but they may have already found a franchise quarterback who could become of Aaron Rodgers' caliber.
Jordan Love played behind Rodgers his first two years, but when his name was called this past season, he answered with well over 4,000 yards, 32 touchdowns, and a 9-8 record good enough to sneak Green Bay into the wildcard and knock off the Dallas Cowboys with a 48-32 win. The eventual NFC champion 49ers knocked off Green Bay in a well-fought 24-21 game.
Love now has an entire season under his belt and has the potential for a breakout season. He did not gain any additional wideout weapons through the draft when that should have been a target for the Packers, considering none of their receivers were north of 800 yards last season.
They did add some protection for Love with their first-round pick, Jordan Morgan, out of Arizona. Along with Morgan, the Packers received a lot of defensive help in the draft. This offseason, the biggest addition for the Packers is former Las Vegas Raider Josh Jacobs to improve their backfield.
Jacobs had a rough season last year, battling injuries, playing just 13 games, and only averaged 3.5 runs in those games. Despite that, he still outrushed both Packers running backs Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon with 805 yards. If Jacobs can stay healthy and find his rhythm again, he could significantly impact an already solid offense.
Everyone wants their team to make a deep run in the playoffs, but given the roster the Packers were working with, I think walking out of last season with a playoff win gives their fans a lot of optimism for their team's future. I see the Packers having a top-five scoring offense and securing another wildcard spot with an 11-6 record, just behind Detroit in their division, then making a deep playoff run.
Indianapolis Colts
The Colts showed some signs of life last season, finishing five points short of winning the AFC South in the last game and ultimately losing 23-19 against the Texans. Their plan to open the season was to ride behind rookie quarterback Anthony Richardson, although that did not last long due to injuries starting early in the season, which ended his season in early October.
Indianapolis also missed star running back Jonathan Taylor for the first several weeks with an ankle injury and a holdout for a new contract. He played the last ten games rushing for a solid 741 yards and seven touchdowns, averaging 4.4 yards per carry. Now that he has an agreement with the Colts through 2026, he has the potential to have a great campaign and get back to being a top back in the league.
To finish off their well-rounded offense, they have two-time 1,000-yard receiver Michael Pittman. He is not a commonly discussed receiver, but through four seasons, he has 336 receptions for 3662 yards and 15 touchdowns. They will likely want to extend him this year after he plays under the franchise tag.
Outside of the draft, the Colts stuck with more subtle roster moves, but signing quarterback Joe Flacco may have a more significant impact than people realize. After Flacco had just won Comeback Player of the Year, he signed a one-year deal with the Colts, primarily to back up Richardson.
Going into camp, I think it will be a QB1 battle between the two, ending with Richardson starting week one; however, Richardson may suffer more injury problems early in the season. I believe Flacco will replicate what he did in Cleveland and take the Colts to the playoffs, with a very tight race with the Texans for the AFC South.
Houston Texans
It is a stretch to call the Texans a sleeper, given the dominant roster that they have built. However, they are still not talked about or respected to the degree I believe they should be.
According to ESPN, they have the fifth-best odds to win the AFC at +750. With new additions including Stephon Diggs, Joe Mixon, and Danielle Hunter to go along with last year's OROY and DROY C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson Jr., plus returning players Dameon Pierce, Nico Collins, and Tank Dell, I believe they just might have the best roster in the AFC.
Houston's success last year did not go unnoticed after winning a close battle for the AFC South, and they took care of business in the Wild Card round, blowing out the Browns before losing to the Ravens in the next round.
I believe these improvements will be enough to get over the hump and earn the two or three seed in the playoffs this year, and even win the AFC for the first time in their franchise history. Look for Stroud to have an MVP-type season, assisted by at least two 1,000-yard receivers between Diggs, Dell, and Collins.
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