Let's face it: Andrew Luck's retirement, Madden 24 coins even as a massive bummer to all individuals who cherished looking him play soccer, has opened the door for all the different groups withinside the AFC South who might have in any other case been seeking to knock off the reigning department champion Colts. Madden sees different groups from the department coping with to qualify for "the match," as Bill Parcells turned into keen on calling the playoffs.
First off, the Titans will roll to the department name with an eleven-five file in the back of a stellar season from a wholesome Marcus Mariota. The quarterback takes a massive soar ahead from his preceding damage-plagued seasons, placing up the type of amazing numbers (seventy two% crowning glory percent, four,406 yards, 35 TDs, 12 INTs and 420 dashing yards) that display he had handiest slightly scratched the floor of his capacity in the ones previous damage-shortened seasons. With a group completing close to the lowest in protecting yards allowed, the fairly treasured offense is in addition assisted with the aid of using strolling again Dion Lewis (924 yards dashing) and the 2-headed monster of Adam Humphries (88 catches, 1,167 yards and a league-main 14 TDs) and Corey Davis (eighty five catches for 1,006 yards).
Meanwhile, do not sleep at the Jaguars with Nick Foles now at helm. Madden believes they'll claw their manner to a Wild Card sport withinside the AFC along the Jets at nine-7. With Foles acting capably below middle (sixty six% crowning glory percent, three,802 yards, 30 TDs and eleven INTs), Leonard Fournette wearing the weight like a workhorse again (1,069 yards dashing, nine TDs), and extensive receiver Dede Westbrook (seventy seven catches for 1,half yards) speedy turning into Foles' pass-to receiver, the ambitious protection does the relaxation for the Jags in getting the group into the playoffs.
The warfare for the lowest of the NFL standings may be simply as interesting as the only on the pinnacle, and with many excessive-degree possibilities anticipated to be to be had withinside the 2024 draft, this yr could be no exception. Though a few "experts" anticipate groups just like the Dolphins and the newly Luck-much less Colts to be withinside the strolling for the pinnacle choose out in 2024, it'll as a substitute be the Bengals who grow to be with the doubtful honor.
It's now no longer even that the Bengals could be all that horrible in 2024, as a minimum now no longer at the offensive aspect of the ball. The chemistry among Andy Dalton (sixty seven%, three,594 yards, 24 TDs, 12 INTs) and pinnacle receiver A.J. Green (seventy nine catches for 1,003 yards) will nevertheless be on show, and interesting younger strolling again Joe Mixon (1,027 yards, eight TDs) handiest makes their dynamic assault all of the extra risky. But it is the protection to be able to be their actual downfall in 2024, with the unit projected to complete close to the lowest in each yards and factors towards, making the task of the offense an increasing number of tough. Perhaps there is a few consolation to be taken from the reality that in their 3 wins will come towards remaining yr's Super Bowl groups.
Should the Bengals grow to be on the lowest of the standings and the pinnacle of the draft board, you need to marvel in the event that they might not recollect it time to transport on from Dalton in spite of his respectable 2024 marketing campaign, and choose one of the pinnacle-rated quarterback possibilities like Tua Tagovailoa or Justin Herbert with the that coveted choose out.
Though the pinnacle seeds have fared quite properly in current years, it looks as if that fashion will now no longer hold into 2024. Madden coins The Patriots falling to the Jets in Foxborough will handiest be the primary shocker of the Wild Card Weekend, because the Jaguars will stun the Chiefs at Arrowhead accompanied with the aid of using the Bucs knocking off the Eagles in Philadelphia.