After a very strong campaign last year in which the Miami Dolphins racked up 11 wins — their most since 2008 — this season has been a real slog. With losses in two of their last three games, the Fins are down to 6-8, and their chances of making the playoffs are clinging by a thread.

After winning 13 games in 2022 — their best season since 2017 — the Minnesota Vikings fell apart last year, managing just seven. This season, the turnaround has been dramatic as they enter their Monday Night Football matchup against Chicago with 11 wins already.

Coming off a solid nine-win effort in 2023, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers got off to a good start this year, winning four of their first six games. A fifth straight playoff appearance looked like a near certainty until things unraveled with a four-game skid.

The Green Bay Packers bounced back somewhat last year, even returning to the playoffs, and have taken bigger steps in 2024, squeaking past the Bears in Week 11 to improve to 7-3. But are they as good as their record suggests?

The Denver Broncos took a nice step forward in 2023 even if they did miss the playoffs for the eighth straight year. However, with the way things started this year — winning five of their first eight — it looked like the drought would end.

With two straight wins, the Atlanta Falcons have taken control of the NFC South and sit just one win shy of a fourth straight season of seven wins. Of course, the Falcons have designs on much greater heights than that.