5 AFC teams that should forget about the 2021 NFL playoffs

The 2021 NFL season is only seven weeks old and there is already a list of teams staring down lost seasons.

As we approach the midway point of the season, losses begin to pile up and problems begin to emerge.

The AFC race in particular is intriguing because so many teams remain a game or two out of contention.

Yet the next five teams should not even be thinking playoffs at this point. Their focus should turn to the 2022 NFL Draft.

5 AFC teams that should forget about making the 2021 NFL playoffs

#5 Denver Broncos

The Denver Broncos were riding high after a 3-0 start to the season. Four losses have since followed and there seems to be no end in sight. Teddy Bridgewater is playing hurt and the offense managed 14 points last Thursday in a 17-14 loss to a shorthanded Cleveland Browns bunch.

Vic Fangio has to be on the hot seat as the quarterback situation remains the primary focus. The fact that Bridgewater is playing hurt over a healthy Drew Lock is not a great sign for the latter.

If Denver falls Sunday to Washington, they could officially say goodbye to any playoff hopes.

#4 Jacksonville Jaguars

It's almost as if the Jacksonville Jaguars should never have had any playoff hopes to begin with. Urban Meyer is in his first year as head coach and before the season started, it was easy to imagine him showing up and immediately changing the franchise for the better.

The actual result is a 1-5 start that recently saw the team get its first win of the NFL season. The main thing for fans to watch this season is the progression of Trevor Lawrence.

If he looks solid and gets better every week, perhaps the Jaguars can make a jump next year similar to what the Cincinnati Bengals are doing now.

The Jaguars are taking baby steps and that is just fine after picking No. 1 overall this past year. Such a pick signals that a long process is in place and the only question now is whether Meyer will stick around long enough to see this team be a playoff contender once again.

New England Patriots v New York Jets

#3 New York Jets

The New York Jets remain an absolute NFL disaster. The team is off to a 1-5 start and Zach Wilson is now out for several weeks with a knee injury. It seems to be wash, rinse, repeat for this franchise.

First-year head coach Robert Saleh has been placed in an impossible position and the only focus for the team has to be extreme patience.

It is going to take several years of competent roster building to start winning again. For now, Saleh just needs to motivate his guys to avoid losing the locker room before November.

#2 Miami Dolphins

The Miami Dolphins are easily the most surprising NFL franchise in 2021. The team entered the year with legitimate aspirations to contend for the playoffs. Instead, they are 1-6 after a 1-0 start and all the chatter surrounding the franchise has to do with Deshaun Watson.

Tua Tagovailoa is now in an extremely difficult spot, not knowing if he is the future of the franchise in Miami or elsewhere in the NFL. It can't be good for overall morale and the results on the field are showing.

Brian Flores' job right now involves him focusing on doing well enough to keep his position as head coach. He may be on the hot seat, and if the team pulls the trigger on a trade for Watson, they may want a new coach there as well in 2022 to try and compete for a playoff run.

#1 Houston Texans

Speaking of Watson, the Houston Texans are going nowhere in 2021 without him.

Watson remains on the roster as an inactive member and his mere presence has to be a major distraction for the 1-6 team.

The tough thing for the Texans is that even though the playoffs were never a realistic possibility, it's not like they are spending the year developing a young quarterback.

That conversation has been pushed aside as rookie Davis Mills continues to struggle on the field in a year when he was likely expected to remain on the sidelines. But Tyrod Taylor's injury thrust Mills into a starting role that ended any NFL playoff hopes way back in Week 2.