Steelers, Packers and Other Contenders in Crisis Mode: Who Will Rebound?

Remember the Sam Bradford-for-MVP bandwagon? Carson Wentz for Rookie of the Year? Rex Ryan for Coach of the Year? Remember when there was any optimism at all surrounding the Packers?

Many of September's top contenders are stumbling through mid-November searching for answers. Let's take the pulses of some teams who have their fan bases hyperventilating after hot starts tumbled into losing streaks. A few of these teams still have a clear path to the playoffs. But all of them have some real problems to solve if they hope to regain that early-season momentum and stay relevant in the second half of the year.

Teams are listed in order of likelihood to still be relevant by mid-December.

Pittsburgh Steelers

Current record and streak: 4-4. Three straight losses.

Early-Season Storyline: It appeared that all the Steelers had to do was hold down the offensive fort until Le'Veon Bell returned from suspension and everything would be hunky-dory. When they went 2-1 in Bell's absence, the AFC looked like the usual three-team Patriots-Broncos-Steelers tournament.

What Went Wrong: Ben Roethlisberger got injured, sending the Steelers in search of all the usual Plan B's (Landry Jones! Rush Big Ben back! Try to win with all handoffs and screen passes!) that they have never developed any confidence in. Meanwhile, the defense has wavered between acceptable and catastrophic against both the run and the pass, preventing the Steelers from grinding out their standard 23-20 victories during Roethlisberger's convalescence.

Reasons for Hope: The AFC North has fallen on hard times. Roethlisberger has a long history of transforming into Wolverine, healing suddenly and thrashing all of his foes.

Ronald C. Modra/Sports Imagery/Getty Images

Reasons to Worry: The Steelers are old at linebacker and young in the secondary. Their pass rush disappears for weeks at a time, putting too much pressure on youngsters like Artie Burns, Sean Davis and Jordan Dangerfield. The run defense was gouged by the Dolphins and couldn't produce needed stops against the Eagles or Patriots. Sunday's Cowboys game looked like a win when the schedule was released. It now looks like an opportunity for the Steelers to get steamrolled by a more physical, multi-dimensional opponent.

Final Prognosis: Like many teams to come on this list, the Steelers are counting on their division and the playoff race in general to deteriorate into a giant .500 scrum. They face the Browns twice in the second half, and the rest of the schedule is full of enough beatable AFC opponents (Bengals, Ravens, Colts, Bills) to get them around 10 wins with a solid playoff tiebreaker portfolio. It's easy to picture the Steelers back in the playoffs; if they arrive with a healthy, determined Roethlisberger, they can still beat any contender west of Foxborough.

Green Bay Packers

Current record and streak: 4-4. Two straight losses.

Early-Season Storyline: "What's wrong with Aaron Rodgers?" asked after narrow victories.

What Went Wrong: The storyline shifted to "What does Aaron Rodgers have around him?" The Packers' losses were more the result of a skill position corps that's thinner than a weekend factory shift during flu season and a secondary that rarely fields more than one healthy cornerback at a time than any real issues at quarterback.

Reasons for Hope: The Packers offensive line has been outstanding. James Starks may return soon; he is not be Eric Dickerson, but he'll supplement the moonlighting fullbacks and slot receivers currently in the backfield. After an awful start, LaDarius Gunter has become a stabilizer in the secondary, and Damarious Randall (groin) might return for the stretch run. Also, there's nothing wrong with Aaron Rodgers.

Reasons to Worry: The Packers have two types of offensive plays right now: the one where no receiver gets open and Rodgers must improvise and the one where someone like Jeff Janis sneaks behind the secondary and lets a Rodgers pass bounce off his hands. If you planted a sapling the day Packers fans began waiting for Mike McCarthy to revamp his offense and Ted Thompson to work the free-agency market with more urgency, you can tie a rope swing around a thick branch by now.

Final Prognosis: The NFC North is wide open, and the Packers are the team with the best quarterback, best offensive line and most established coaching staff in the division, plus a solid front seven and other assets, which on paper should push them past the Lions and Vikings. A three-game divisional stand to end the season will decide their playoff fate. The trick is getting there before running out of players who can grasp a football and run forward at the same time without tripping and/or fumbling.

Minnesota Vikings

Current record and streak: 5-3. Three straight losses.

Early-Season Storyline: Sam Bradford has finally become the player everyone thought he would be in 2009! Who needs Adrian Peterson? The 1985 Bears had better watch out for the Vikings defense! Injuries, shminjuries: This is a team of destiny!

Adam Bettcher/Getty Images

What Went Wrong: The injuries crossed the event horizon and sucked the offense into a black hole. Bradford the Savior returned to being Bradford the competent journeyman who doesn't really elevate his team. Internal struggles resulted in an offensive coordinator change. The defense dipped from epic to merely excellent.

Reasons for Hope: The Vikings remain in first place and have plenty of assets: an outstanding defense, a deep receiving corps, an explosive return game. If the latest iteration of the offensive line (featuring Jake Long at left tackle and T.J. Clemmings at right tackle) can gel enough to provide Bradford some protection and a wisp of a running game, the Vikings can go back to winning 17-14 and 22-10 games.

Reasons to Worry: That new line didn't look impressive against the Lions. Coaching continuity was supposed to be among the Vikings' strengths, but Norv Turner's departure clouds the perception of a franchise coming together to solve problems in the face of adversity. Kicker problems could doom the Vikings in the types of close games they are built to win.

Final Prognosis: The next four weeks bring Washington, the Cardinals, the Lions on Thanksgiving and the Cowboys. The Vikings could easily be 5-7 at the end of that stretch. But if they are 7-5, the late schedule is soft, and a playoff appearance (if not playoff glory) could await.

Buffalo Bills

Current record and streak: 4-5 Three straight losses.

Early-Season Storyline: Desperate team loses best playmaker, fires offensive coordinator and suddenly goes on the tear! What chance could there possibly be that the winning streak is just the result of short-term motivation and catching opponents off guard with new game plans?

Mike Ehrmann/Getty Images

What Went Wrong: The chance that it was all just the result of short-term motivation and catching opponents off guard with new game plans was approximately 96.7 percent. The Bills' four-game winning streak came against the overrated Cardinals, the quarterback-deflated Patriots, the Rams and the 49ers. Then reality set in.

Reasons for Hope: New offensive coordinator Anthony Lynn is a creative schemer who took Greg Roman's old run-based offense and made it even more Romanesque. There's still talk of Sammy Watkins (foot) returning from injured reserve.

Reasons to Worry: The defense has allowed 100 points in the last three games. Penalties are on the rise (23 in the last two weeks, 83 on the season), which is often a troubling sign that a Rex Ryan team is about to lose its grasp on reality and blast off to Planet Tough Guys.

Final Prognosis: A mostly-mushy second half schedule featuring the Jaguars, Browns and Jets should help the Bills linger near .500. But the Dolphins have surpassed them as the AFC's top running-and-defense also-ran, and the road to Wild Card berths will probably roll through the AFC West. A .500 finish could be enough to earn Lynn some head coaching interviews. Maybe he should interview in Buffalo.

Philadelphia Eagles

Current record and streak: 4-4. Two straight losses.

Early-Season Storyline: Is Carson Wentz the second coming of King Gilgamesh, or just a slightly-improved version of Peyton Manning?

What Went Wrong: Wentz began running turnover drills in first quarters. Rookie coach Doug Pederson started blundering away fourth-down and late-game clock management decisions. The opponents got better.

Reasons for Hope: Football Outsiders ranks the Eagles first in the NFL in their overall DVOA metric thanks to a stout, turnover-happy defense and exceptional special teams. Wentz still looks like an outstanding prospect now that he has his first few interceptions out of his system.

Reasons to Worry: The Eagles' 3-0 start was powered in part by wins over the Browns and Bears. They are already 0-3 in the NFC East. The upcoming Falcons-Seahawks-Packers stretch looks more like a knockout punch than a chance to make a statement.

Final Prognosis: If Wentz and Pederson learn from their mistakes and general manager Howie Roseman can upgrade the skill position talent in the offseason, the Eagles could be formidable in 2017. But they have positioned themselves behind the pack this year and lack the offensive horsepower—and experience—to mount a significant second-half charge.

Mike Tanier covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. Follow him on Twitter @MikeTanier.