5 NFL playoff teams most likely to flame out in 2019

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND - JANUARY 06: Quarterback Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens in action against the Los Angeles Chargers during the AFC Wild Card Playoff game at M&T Bank Stadium on January 06, 2019 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /

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BOURBONNAIS, IL – AUGUST 01: Chicago Bears quarterback Mitchell Trubisky (10) performing drills during the Chicago Bears training camp practice on August 01, 2019 at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais, IL. (Photo by Joseph Weiser/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

1. Chicago Bears

One of the most common tropes in the NFL is a team that comes out of nowhere to make a playoff run in one year but comes crashing back to Earth the next under heightened expectations. The Jacksonville Jaguars were a prime example of that a year ago, winning only five games a year after being just minutes from the Super Bowl, and that could well happen to the Chicago Bears this season.

The Bears were a big surprise a year ago, riding a revitalized defense bolstered by the Khalil Mack trade to a 12-4 record and the NFC North title. The playoffs were a disappointment for the Bears, who missed out on advancing when kicker Cody Parkey double-doinked the game winning field goal attempt against the Philadelphia Eagles in the Wild Card round.

The Bears bring back their strong defense for another go at glory, but they do have a few things working against them. The first is that the Bears took advantage of a very dysfunction year in their division, with the Packers imploding at the end of the Mike McCarthy era while the Minnesota Vikings collapsed down the stretch. Both teams figure to be back in the playoff hunt this year, while the Detroit Lions remain a dangerous threat in arguably the toughest division in football from top-to-bottom.

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The Bears also need quarterback Mitch Trubisky to take another leap forward in 2019, and that is not a guarantee. Trubisky looked better from year one to year two, raising his completion percentage from 59.4% to 66.6% and tossing 24 touchdowns against 12 interceptions, but he needs to elevate his game even further to carry the Bears through a tough division.

An innovative offensive approach from head coach Matt Nagy kept the Bears’ opponents off-balance a year ago, but with a year of film on them now opponents will be prepared to adapt to the Chicago offense. Unless Trubisky takes another leap into the level of elite quarterbacks, the Bears could well be the 2019 version of the Jaguars and fall well short of the playoffs.

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