Since 1990, every NFL postseason has included four new playoff teams, meaning they missed it the year prior. Here are several NFL teams that will make the playoffs after missing the 2024 postseason.
San Francisco 49ers
The vision is clear 🤝 pic.twitter.com/kKExorc42L
— San Francisco 49ers (@49ers) July 24, 2025
The San Francisco 49ers have had an inconsistent performance during Kyle Shanahan’s time as head coach. Since 2017, they have alternated between making it to the NFC Championship and failing to qualify for the postseason.
2024 was the year from hell for the 49ers. Nearly every major offensive contributor missed time due to injuries. This includes Brock Purdy (2 games), Christian McCaffrey (13 games), George Kittle (2 games), Deebo Samuel (2 games), Brandon Aiyuk (10 games), and Trent Williams (7 games).
Purdy, McCaffrey, Kittle, and Williams are ready to go. Aiyuk likely won’t be ready for Week 1, and Samuel now plays for the Commanders.
After years of playing for a massive discount, Purdy finally received an extension that pays him $53 million per year. That changes how the 49ers build their roster.
The defense still has Fred Warner in the middle, and they re-hired Robert Saleh as the defensive coordinator.
The 49ers have the NFL’s easiest schedule (.415 opponent winning percentage), so anything less than 10 wins would be a disappointment.
Cincinnati Bengals
EXCLUSIVE: Just spoke to Bengals pass rusher Trey Hendrickson, who is currently in Jacksonville, FL. For the last 30 days, he had been at his home in Cincinnati and training.
But as training camp approached, he and his wife decided to leave.
They received two offers in a… pic.twitter.com/evlSdeWlpK
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) July 22, 2025
The Cincinnati Bengals‘ offense held up its end of the bargain in 2024.
Joe Burrow put up historic numbers that could have been good enough for an MVP had his team made the postseason.
Ja’Marr Chase won the receiving triple crown.
However, the Bengals’ defense ranked 25th in yards per game (348.3) and points per game (25.5).
With Burrow, Chase, and Tee Higgins back, the offense should be just as explosive. However, the Bengals’ success lies with their defense.
The team’s best defensive player, Trey Hendrickson, is holding out of training camp. The Bengals’ first-round draft pick, Shemar Stewart, is also not reporting to training camp.
If Cincinnati can come to terms with those two players, its chances of making the postseason increase.
Chicago Bears
Confirmed: Ben has aura pic.twitter.com/xfVtVbvG5H
— Chicago Bears (@ChicagoBears) July 24, 2025
If you picked the Chicago Bears to make the postseason in 2024, you might have been one year too early.
The Bears entered the 2024 season with playoff expectations due to their strong defense and Caleb Williams. Unfortunately, the Bears’ defense was average, and Caleb Williams struggled most of the season.
The Bears’ coaching staff did the team no favors, leading to Matt Eberflus’ firing days after their embarrassing Thanksgiving loss to the Detroit Lions.
The defense should be improved. More importantly, this is a bet on Williams, who now gets to learn under the tutelage of first-year coach Ben Johnson.
The former Lions offensive coordinator resurrected Jared Goff’s career. Let’s see if he can do the same with Williams.
