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NFL: Top 5 dark horse playoff contenders

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The NFL enters Week 8 of the 2016 season. The playoff races are about to heat up. Here are five teams that are legitimate darkhorse playoff contenders.

It’s already Week 8 of the 2016 NFL season. A few teams like the New England Patriots and the Dallas Cowboys have positioned themselves for what looks like probable NFL Playoff berths.

There even a few surprising division leaders like the Atlanta Falcons and the Oakland Raiders that are hoping to make their first trip to the playoffs in years. Atlanta hasn’t qualified since the 2012 NFC Championship. Oakland hasn’t been to the postseason since winning the 2002 AFC Championship, only to lose Super Bowl XXXVII to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

We think we know all the teams that have legitimate shots to make the NFL Playoffs in 2016 or do we? Here are five teams that are very much playoff dark horses entering Week 8. Don’t be shocked if one of more of these clubs end up being one of the dozen teams to qualify in January.

Oct 23, 2016; Nashville, TN, USA; Tennessee Titans running back DeMarco Murray (29) prior to the game against the Indianapolis Colts at Nissan Stadium. The Colts won 34-26. Mandatory Credit: Christopher Hanewinckel-USA TODAY Sports

5. Tennessee Titans

Entering Week 8, the Tennessee Titans were 3-4 and in third place in the AFC South behind the 4-3 Houston Texans and the 3-4 Indianapolis Colts. Though Tennessee has lost to both division rivals head-to-head this season, there is reason to believe that the Titans could wind up winning the bad, albeit interesting AFC South.

Their schedule might be tougher the rest of the way now that the AFC West and NFC North look to have multiple playoff teams this year, but keep in mind that the Titans’ AFC South rivals also have to play those eight teams out of the division.

Tennessee does have its limitations in terms of personnel. The Titans probably have the third best roster in the AFC South behind Houston and the Jacksonville Jaguars, only ahead of that quagmire Ryan Grigson put together in Indianapolis.

As the weather changes, Tennessee is best equipped to win in cold-weather of any AFC South team. The Titans’ ground-and-pound tandem of DeMarco Murray and Derrick Henry will be something second-year quarterback Marcus Mariota can lean on.

Mariota also has a better-than average offensive line in front of him and an elite tight end in Delanie Walker. So it really doesn’t matter how poor the Titans are out on the perimeter. Tennessee has the roster built to win late in the season.

Another interesting thing in the Titans’ favor is that their coaching staff is slightly underrated. People for some reason hate the job that Mike Mularkey is doing in Nashville. He has a good working relationship with offensive coordinator Terry Robiskie from their time together with the Atlanta Falcons. They’re doing okay, something the Titans haven’t been since the Jeff Fisher days.

Let’s not forget that the ageless Dick LeBeau is coaching this defense. The pass rush is improving under his watch. Tennessee isn’t going to be better than a 9-7, 8-8 team this season. However, that win total is good enough to win the AFC South. The Titans have already matched their win total from last season of three and it’s not even November.

Oct 23, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) throws a pass pressured by Atlanta Falcons defensive end Dwight Freeney (93) in the fourth quarter at the Georgia Dome. The Chargers defeated the Falcons 33-30 in overtime. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

4. San Diego Chargers

If the NFL learned anything the last two weeks, it is that the San Diego Chargers might actually be a good football team. At the very least, they are incredibly fun watch. Quarterback Philip Rivers is playing some of the best ball of his career. Does this have anything to do with Ken Whisenhunt coming back into the fold as offensive coordinator after failing as the Titans head coach?

Probably to some degree, but Rivers is a borderline Pro Football Hall of Famer. What other star quarterback in NFL history has had worse head coaches to work with than Rivers? He’s really on an island by himself in that regard.

It’s not just Rivers that makes San Diego the most dangerous fourth-place team in football, that Thursday Night Football victory over the rival Denver Broncos did something to galvanize this team.

San Diego is 3-4, but is one of the few teams in the NFL this season that could claim it had a legitimate opportunity to be 7-0. The Chargers lost two games that they had statistically a 99% chance of winning late in the fourth quarter.

San Diego has lost a ton of key players to season-ending injuries this season including Keenan Allen, Manti Te’o, and Danny Woodhead. The Chargers needed players to step up in their extended absence. Three guys immediately come to mind: Joey Bosa, Denzel Perryman, and Tyrell Williams. Bosa is a rookie and the other two are in their second year out of college.

The Chargers’ pass rush is good, the secondary has been on point for a while, and the passing game is one of the best in football at the halfway point. Playing the AFC West with Denver, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders has its difficulties. One of these teams will not make the AFC Playoffs, guaranteed.

San Diego may have started in a big 1-4 hole, but this is not a team opponents can cakewalk over anymore. Outside of the AFC West and the New England Patriots, the AFC looks pretty weak. If the Chargers can play well in divisional play, maybe they can get that second AFC Wild Card spot at 9-7, possibly 10-6?

Sep 25, 2016; Cincinnati, OH, USA; Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green (18) against the Denver Broncos at Paul Brown Stadium. The Broncos won 29-17. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports

3. Cincinnati Bengals

Are the Cincinnati Bengals good or are they bad? At 3-4, Cincinnati is somewhere in that decent to mediocre range in the AFC. Fortunately for the Bengals, the AFC North hasn’t looked this bad in years.

The Pittsburgh Steelers lead the division at 4-3, but will be without star quarterback Ben Roethlisberger for about month. Landry is a decent backup quarterback, but really nothing more.

Pittsburgh also may not be a very well-coached team. The Steelers play down to lesser competition, as head coach Mike Tomlin has a losing record against sub-.500 teams. How does he not win the AFC North every year with Roethlisberger under center?

The Baltimore Ravens are the fake ID of the NFL in 2016. They started the season 3-0 by beating struggling teams. Baltimore has lost four straight, the Ravens can’t run the football, and they have a lot of problems for a supposedly well-run organization. Then, there’s the hapless 0-7 Cleveland Browns. Need we say more.

Not only is the AFC North down as a whole, but Cincinnati has not played its best ball yet. The Bengals have had attrition to deal with the season in terms of coaches and player personnel. However, they have a culture in place under head coach Marvin Lewis that at least gets the Bengals to nine to 10 wins annually. That will win the AFC North this season if Pittsburgh spirals sans Roethlisberger.

Steelers wideout Antonio Brown is only as good as Roethlisberger makes him. At this point, would the best quarterback/wide receiver tandem in the AFC North be Andy Dalton and A.J. Green? Cincinnati needs to win an AFC Playoff game if it qualifies, but they are in an ideal situation to take control of the AFC North with Roethlisberger out for the rival Steelers.

Oct 23, 2016; Detroit, MI, USA; Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford (9) hands the ball off to Detroit Lions fullback Zach Zenner (34) during the third quarter at Ford Field. Lions won 20-17. Mandatory Credit: Raj Mehta-USA TODAY Sports

2. Detroit Lions

Is it all that crazy to think that Matthew Stafford is a legitimate 2016 NFL MVP candidate thus far? The Detroit Lions star signal caller is carrying this bunch of no-names to a 4-3 record through seven games. Not only can the Lions qualify for the 2016 NFL Playoffs as a Wild Card, there is a chance they can win the NFC North.

Detroit is viewed as the third-best team in its division behind the Minnesota Vikings and the Green Bay Packers, respectively. Minnesota has an elite defense, Green Bay has Aaron Rodgers, but Detroit has Stafford playing unencumbered football for the first time in his NFL career.

One could argue that Stafford has the best arm in football. He was the No. 1 overall pick out of the University of Georgia in the 2009 NFL Draft. For years, he had one elite offensive weapon to sling the pigskin to in future Hall of Famer wide receiver Calvin Johnson. Is Detroit experiencing a bit of Ewing Theory since Johnson’s retirement?

Well, not having Johnson has forced Stafford to look for his other Detroit wideouts when he has to dial up a big passing play. Stafford is thriving under offensive coordinator Jim Bob Cooter since he took over for Joe Lombardi mid-season last year.

It’s not all Stafford that make Detroit a dangerous playoff hopeful in the NFC. Could it have something to do with the stoic nature of head coach Jim Caldwell? He’s not great at reading a clock, but his even-keeled nature might be keying the Lions’ ability to hang in and play well in tight ball games.

At 4-3, the Lions are one of the eight best teams in the NFC. If Minnesota, Green Bay, and two of the NFC East teams fade in the coming weeks, look for Detroit to firmly assert itself in the NFC Playoff conversation.

Aug 25, 2016; Orlando, FL, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Adam Gase greets his players during the second half against the Atlanta Falcons at Camping World Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Steve Mitchell-USA TODAY Sports

1. Miami Dolphins

This would have sounded completely insane two weeks ago, but the Miami Dolphins are the biggest NFL Playoff dark horse contender entering Week 8. Not only are the Dolphins playing better ball under first-year head coach Adam Gase, but they might play only three good teams the rest of the way.

Miami is 3-4, but only have one bad loss. The Dolphins were shellacked by the Bengals on Thursday Night Football in Week 4. Seattle is a Super Bowl contender in the NFC, New England is the best team in the AFC, and the Titans are at least respectable.

Miami still ends the season with the Patriots, but New England might be resting players in Week 17 after clinching home field advantage in the AFC. The Chargers look good. The Dolphins will get them in three weeks. However, what about the Arizona Cardinals or the Buffalo Bills?

Arizona tied Seattle at home in Week 7 on Sunday Night Football. Miami bested arch rival Buffalo at home last week. Other teams on the Dolphins’ slate include the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Rams, and two with the rival New York Jets.

Is it ludicrous to think Miami can go 10-6 and get an AFC Wild Card spot in 2016? Their strength of schedule doesn’t help them in tiebreakers, but the Dolphins could finish around .500 in a worst case scenario.

The Dolphins have an elite pass rush. They’ve discovered the power of Jay Ajayi in the backfield. This will take pressure of starting quarterback Ryan Tannehill. Maybe Ajayi’s ground gain frees up Tannehill to make more plays with No. 1 wide receiver Jarvis Landry.

Gase lit a fire under this team by cutting three players after its Week 5 loss to Tennessee. Playing in the South Florida heat should help the Dolphins continue to run the ball down the opposition’s throats at home. Miami is not winning the AFC East, but if the AFC West cannibalizes itself this could be the No. 6 seed in the AFC come playoff time.