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When the NFL playoff field consisted of 12 teams, roughly 50 percent of one year’s field didn’t make it the next year. Now, in the second year of a 14-team field, the turnover is once again 50 percent.
Half of the 14 teams that made it in 2020 failed to return in 2021, with seven out and seven new ones in.
Those who didn’t return were, in the AFC, the Ravens, Browns, and Colts. In the NFC, the Saints, Seahawks, Washington, and Bears didn’t make it back.
They’re replaced by the Bengals, Patriots, Raiders, Cowboys, 49ers, Cardinals, and Eagles.
So take heart, 18 teams that didn’t make it to the 2021 playoffs. There’s a chance that more than a third of you will be getting ready to play in a wild-card game one year from now.