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The NFL has several abysmal football teams right now, but which one is the worst?
The 2013 NFL Draft is less than seven months away and there are several top prospects to keep a close eye on at the quarterback position (Matt Barkley, E.J. Manuel, Geno Smith, Tyler Wilson). This is a quarterback driven league and your team is often only as good as your signal-caller can take you.
The sport may be fluid and always changing, but these bottom-tier teams will not be going anywhere without improved play from their quarterbacks.
32. Cleveland Browns
The Browns offense made nice strides against the Ravens, but the case of the dropsies that Greg Little still has is devastating. The squad cannot afford bad performances with the AFC North competition only getting tougher. They should get out of the bottom spot, but they won’t be moving very far until they win a game.
31. Oakland Raiders
Carson Palmer and that offense isn’t completely pitiful, but the defense sure as hell is. The secondary has been dinged up but for pete’s sake they are awful. Denver had the ball for nearly the entire game which is almost impossible to do in the NFL. Yes, the Raiders are that bad and they have failed miserably to get Darren McFadden more involved.
30. Kansas City Chiefs
Jamaal Charles found paydirt twice, but he also fumbled seemingly every other possession. Plus, Matt Cassel flat out stinks right now and his job is certainly in trouble (so is the team).
29. New Orleans Saints
The Saints on paper may move up the rankings, but win me a game first before you argue against this spot. Drew Brees is going bonkers right now, but so is the defense! That is in an embarrassing way with their ability to give up a chunk of yards and touchdowns on any given play.
28. Tennessee Titans
Jake Locker has been reported to have a separated shoulder and may miss several weeks, which mean Matt Hasselbeck steps in. He threw two pick sixes yesterday, which spells disaster for a team that has not played well in any facet (at least CJ2K finally performed).
27. Indianapolis Colts
The Colts had a bye week and the reward is they get to allow the Packers to roll up 30-plus points. They may allow a ton of points, but they should be able to put up a fight although it still doesn’t look pretty.
26. Jacksonville Jaguars
Blaine Gabbert throwing in perfect weather is a challenge and instead he was forced to come from behind in a monsoon. The offense is brutal even with Maurice Jones-Drew attempting to do it all.
25. Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Tampa has some young talent, but Josh Freeman needs to take that next step if this team expects to improve in 2012. Freeman and Doug Martin are solid talents, but the talent around them is questionable and they certainly have both not lived up to soft lofty (and unfair) expectations.
24. Carolina Panthers
Cam Newton is either considered an immature brat or just a youngster that still has a long way to go before he is considered All-Pro. His talents may allow him to achieve such a wish, but this team offensively is still not there. They need to get a new star back and or receiver or else six wins may be the best they can do.
23. Miami Dolphins
Ryan Tannehill threw for over 400 yards, but his two picks were costly. Throwing one in overtime is brutal, and the offense was ineffective with an unhealthy Reggie Bush. Great to see Brian Hartline go bonkers, but a loss still stinks.
22. New York Jets
The most pitiful performance of the week belongs to these J-E-T-S with an offense that cannot do anything to save their lives. Shonn Green and the backfield stinks, but the passing game is even worse. Is Mark Sanchez ever going to perform well or will these overrated players put together a non-winning season?
21. Detroit Lions
The Lions have now put together two stinkers in a row and they are falling by the week. The defense has been decent enough but every week something else brutal occurs. Calvin Johnson was on the Madden cover and that curse has never, ever disappointed. The freak known as ‘Megatron’ is arguably the most talented player heading into its season that has been on the cover, but it is amazing to see him and Stafford struggle this much (injuries don’t help).
20. Seattle Seahawks
The defense is legit and they showed it against the Packers, but this offense is way too one-dimensional to be considered a playoff contender.
19. Washington Redskins
RGIII is a budding superstar, but we are just entering the fifth week of the season and he has yet to play against an NFC East foe. The defense is still fairly weak, which is a glaring concern right now.
18. St. Louis Rams
Sam Bradford can’t find kicker Greg Zurlein, but this just happens to be the best in the business right now. Jackson and Amendola are solid, but this team still is a full notch below the average playoff team.
17. Denver Broncos
Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil are bad men on defense, but their offense were the ones to finally take that next step towards relevancy. Peyton Manning played well, and they need him to continue to improve if they expect a division title regardless of how bad it may be.
16. Buffalo Bills
C.J. Spiller and Fred Jackson are one hell of a duo and they need Ryan Fitzpatrick to just take care of the ball. The defense isn’t this brutal although they will always give up their fair share of yards.
15. New York Giants
The G-Men suffered a tough loss to the Eagles, but Eli Manning will still be throwing his brains out whether Hakeem Nicks misses the entire month of October or not. The only issue is that the NFC is deeper than ever and the Cowboys and Eagles slate is much easier.
14. San Diego Chargers
The Bolts are hanging around because if their sorry and easy cakewalk of a schedule Bank on 9 or 10 wins, which will leave them right there with the Broncos at the end of the day.
13. Dallas Cowboys
They may be 31st in the league averaging a shade over 16 PPG, but the talent and potential is still there. Coaches and players lose their jobs over potential though. Dez Bryant finally put together a solid game and Jason Witten had a monster game as well, but 5 INT for Tony Romo and the inability to connect on critical downs is concerning. The bye week should help before Baltimore and Atlanta await for America’s team. It will soon be do-or-die, but the NFC East is still wide open.
12. Pittsburgh Steelers
Big Ben and his receivers will be posting legit numbers, but the defense better rise to the occasion or a team like Buffalo or Cincinnati will make the postseason.
11. Minnesota Vikings
The best defense in the NFC North might just be the Vikings, but Christian Ponder is taking care of the ball like a Pro Bowler. Adrian Peterson is running hard and Percy Harvin can score in all facets of the game (RB, WR, Special Teams). Chad Greenway is playing like a top 10 linebacker and the way the defense is forcing turnovers and bottling up the run is impressive.
10. Cincinnati Bengals
Did I mention they made the playoffs last year without beating the Steelers or Ravens? Not only is that remarkable but there is a good chance they beat one of those teams this year to help propel them back into the postseason thanks to Andy Dalton playing pitch and catch with A.J. Green.
Aaron Rodgers was going to explode which should not come as a shocker with all the talent he has around him. If Greg Jennings misses a few weeks, it could cost them although James Jones is more than capable of filling in. Expect double digit wins and a Wild Card berth at the very worst for this loaded team (pass D needs to wake up).
8. New England Patriots
Tom Brady is arguably the best pure passer in the NFL for a reason, and his pocket presence enables him to perform like the Hall of Famer that he is. Brandon Bolden and Steven Ridley look like beasts running the rock, and they will need to with a defense that is still allowing some yards and points. Expect great things although the Texans will be tough to catch with their soft division.
7. Philadelphia Eagles
Winning three games by less than a TD is a miracle as they very easily could be 1-3, but a victory is a victory in the NFL. They don’t ask you how you did, just whether or not you actually won.
6. Chicago Bears
The huge Monday night victory gives the Bears a huge edge in terms of their playoff hopes. A division title is still there for the taking but it may be tough to get 2 defensive TD and 5 picks against Blaine Gabbert (maybe it won’t be but still). Jay Cutler and Brandon Marshall have their game faces on finally and to think they did this all without Matt Forte or Michael Bush going bonkers. If they can take care of their home field, bank on 10 or 11 wins and playoff berth in January.
5. San Francisco 49ers
The best defense in the NFC just shutout the Jets, but even my pet frog could slow that putrid offense down. Still, Alex Smith played well and when he does this team is nearly unbeatable.
4. Baltimore Ravens
The Ravens get the Cowboys in two weeks but the lovely Chiefs are up first. Matt Cassel may give up more points than he actually scores and those top upcoming rookie quarterbacks (Matt Barkley, E.J. Manuel, Geno Smith) may be on the X-Mas wish list. Ray Rice, Torrey Smith and Dennis Pitta may run circles against this defense with short field positions.
3. Arizona Cardinals
Patrick Peterson is a freak among freak shows, but Darnell Dockett and this squad can go a far way if they continue to play mistake free football on offense. Kevin Kolb is getting the job done which still sounds bizarre, so how long can he remain unbeaten?
2. Atlanta Falcons
They were simply lucky against a Panthers secondary that couldn’t cover myself in a phone booth, but Carolina harassed Matty Ice in the pocket. Julio Jones (hand) was uneffective and Roddy White instead played like a man possessed. Michael Turner even produced, which makes this team borderline unstoppable at home. The defense will always be bend but not break when they are leading most of their games, but they need to put more pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
1. Houston Texans
Yes, the Texans are the best team in football and it may not even be that close at the moment with the way the AFC South is playing. While the Falcons may clinch their division by next week, the Texans may clinch tomorrow morning. Indianapolis, Jacksonville and Tennessee are among the three worst in football, which will only allow Arian Foster and company (think their D will enjoy life?) to tee off on the competition.
