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3 NFL playoff teams who won’t return to the postseason in 2023

By Russell S. Baxter

JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 14: Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers lines up before a play during an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on January 14, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images)
JACKSONVILLE, FL - JANUARY 14: Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers lines up before a play during an NFL wild card playoff football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on January 14, 2023 in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Kevin Sabitus/Getty Images) /
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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 25: Joey Bosa #97 of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up before taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars at SoFi Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – OCTOBER 25: Joey Bosa #97 of the Los Angeles Chargers warms up before taking on the Jacksonville Jaguars at SoFi Stadium on October 25, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Katelyn Mulcahy/Getty Images) /

2. Los Angeles Chargers

Will there be a hangover from last season’s wild-card playoff disaster? Stranger things have certainly happened to football teams that have suffered devastating losses in the past. The Los Angeles Chargers went to Jacksonville and picked off Jaguars’ quarterback Trevor Lawrence three times in the first quarter and four times in the first half. The Bolts got a fifth takeaway on a muffed punt. Brandon Staley’s team owned a stunning 27-0 advantage in the second quarter.

That would not be good enough. The Chargers would fall, 31-30, and now head into 2023 with very few changes from a year ago. One is the hiring of new offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, late of the Dallas Cowboys.

The team has talented defenders such as edge rushers Joey Bosa and Khalil Mack, cornerback Asante Samuel Jr. and safety Derwin James. Still, the club’s biggest issue remains the inability to stop the run. A year ago, only four teams in the league allowed more yards per game on the ground. In 2021, the Bolts were 30th in the NFL in rushing defense. Jaguars’ running back Travis Etienne ran 20 times for 109 yards in the Chargers’ playoff loss at Jacksonville.

It’s hard to put up a lot of points when the other team has the ball. Staley’s club got another big year from quarterback Justin Herbert. That could be the case again unless the Chargers’ continuous failure when it comes to stopping the run comes back to bite them in the end zone.

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