Disappointing NFL Players and Teams Who Will Rebound from Rough Starts
For some NFL players and teams, it's good that the regular season is a marathon, not a sprint.
With five games of the 2022 NFL season in the books, those off to a bad start might feel like the year is already a lost cause. But we're only about a quarter of the way through the season.
Much like an NFL game, there's a lot that can happen over the final three quarters. Just last season, the Philadelphia Eagles started 2-5 before winning seven of their last 10 and making the playoffs.
The following players and teams have failed to live up to expectations so far this season. But whether it's more time to get healthy and develop chemistry or a break in the schedule, they still have time to turn their year around.
Cincinnati Bengals
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The offensive line was the Cincinnati Bengals' obvious Achilles' heel last season. They aggressively attempted to bolster it this offseason by signing Alex Cappa, Ted Karras and La'el Collins in free agency.
That hasn't paid off yet. The Bengals offense has struggled to get going amidst the team's 2-3 start, and star quarterback Joe Burrow has already been sacked 18 times.
It isn't time for Cincinnati to hit the alarms yet, though. Burrow got sacked 13 times between Weeks 1 and 2, but the O-line has kept him relatively clean since then.
There's plenty to like about the Bengals despite their middling record through the first quarter of the season. First is a defense that ranks among the top 10 in scoring, yards allowed per play and takeaways.
The Bengals' point differential of plus-19 is the fifth-best mark in the AFC and is only two points behind the Baltimore Ravens, who hold a one-game advantage in the AFC North. All three of their losses have come on last-minute field goals, while they put together convincing wins over the New York Jets and Miami Dolphins.
The Bengals' pass protection is getting better. The defense is still proving to be one of the best units in the league. All that's left for the coaching staff is to figure out how to put up points with one of the league's most exciting young quarterbacks and an elite trio of receivers.
That's a hopeful outlook.
Edge Marcus Davenport, New Orleans Saints
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New Orleans Saints edge-rusher Cameron Jordan is 33 years old. Meanwhile, Marcus Davenport had a breakout campaign with a career-high nine sacks in 2021.
This was supposed to be the year that Davenport took over the role as the Saints' premier pass-rusher. Instead, he has only a half-sack through the first five games and the Saints are 29th in pressure percentage.
Regardless of whether Jameis Winston or Andy Dalton is piloting the offense, the Saints defense has to be dominant if they are going to be relevant for the rest of the season. That means they need more from their defensive ends.
Davenport has generated only seven pressures so far, but also underwent shoulder surgery and had the tip of his pinkie amputated this summer. That could help explain why he's off to a slow start.
Davenport has started to show signs of life over the last two weeks. He bulldozed his way to a half-sack against the Minnesota Vikings in London and then followed it up with a four-tackle game and a quarterback hit against the Seattle Seahawks.
As Davenport continues to get healthier and the season wears on, expect to see him take over the title of best pass-rusher on the Saints.
Jacksonville Jaguars
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The Jacksonville Jaguars are only disappointing in relation to what we saw from them in Weeks 2 and 3 when it looked like they could be the best team in the AFC South. They've since come back down to earth a bit and sit at 2-3.
But it's important to remember where this team is coming from. The two wins in the first three weeks of the season has them only one win away from their season total in 2021.
Their loss to the Houston Texans this past Sunday was a dud, and Trevor Lawrence was especially bad. Not only did he lose four fumbles, but he posted a minus-15 completion percentage over expectation, per Next Gen Stats.
However, head coach Doug Pederson was adamant Lawrence is doing the right things to be better.
"He's going to get better," Pederson told reporters. "He's going to get better. I'm not worried about that at all. We have a lot of faith and trust in him and he can definitely do the job. We've seen it this season. We've just got to keep working on it."
The Jags have a good slate to get right back into the playoff race and deliver on the promise they showed a few weeks ago. This week, they face the Colts, whom they shut out in Week 2. After that, they get the New York Giants, who continue to win by small margins, and the struggling Denver Broncos in London.
All three of those are winnable games and could make fans forget about their current two-game skid.
WR D.J. Moore, Carolina Panthers
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D.J. Moore's three-year streak of 1,100-plus receiving yards is in serious jeopardy after the first five games of the year.
Moore is sitting at only 197 receiving yards and one touchdown in five games. However, two pieces of news could change his fortune moving forward.
Quarterback Baker Mayfield was in a boot after suffering an ankle injury in the Carolina Panthers' Week 5 blowout loss to the San Francisco 49ers. And on Monday, the Panthers fired head coach Matt Rhule.
Neither Rhule nor Mayfield have done Moore any favors this season. The dynamic receiver is 22nd leaguewide in target share, per Player Profiler, but he ranks 94th in target quality rating.
With Steve Wilks set to take over as the interim coach and Mayfield hobbled, the Panthers are going to have to make a change at quarterback, at least in the short term. PJ Walker took over in the second half on Sunday, but Sam Darnold is eligible to come off of injured reserve once he recovers from the high ankle sprain he suffered during the preseason.
Either way, the two entities that have held back Moore to this point—Rhule and Mayfield—are now out of the way. That could clear the path for Moore to bounce back and prolong his 1,100-yard streak.
New England Patriots
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The New England Patriots are 2-3, are in last place in the AFC East and are still without starting quarterback Mac Jones. There's a lot of reasons to doubt them moving forward.
There's also a reason to believe their 29-0 win over the Detroit Lions on Sunday is a sign of better things to come.
Yes, the Lions are only 1-4 and have plenty of problems of their own. However, they came into the week with the highest-scoring offense in the league before getting blanked by the Patriots' defense.
The Patriots' offense was criticized throughout the preseason and training camp, but they seem to have found a recipe for success. Rhamondre Stevenson had a career-high 161 yards on 25 carries against the Lions, while rookie quarterback Bailey Zappe did enough for the offense to be effective, going 17-of-25 for 188 yards, one touchdown and one interception.
No one will mistake this group for some of the explosive Tom Brady-led Patriots offenses in years past. However, that kind of methodical, run-heavy approach could serve them well even when they get Jones back in the lineup.
The Patriots' schedule could help them get back over .500 quickly. This week, they face the Cleveland Browns, who've lost three of their past four games. After that, they get the Chicago Bears, New York Jets, Indianapolis Colts and the Jets again after a Week 10 bye.
The Lions win could turn out to be the start of a run that puts the Patriots right back into playoff contention.
RB Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts
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Things do not look good for Matt Ryan and the Indianapolis Colts right now, but it's hard to envision Jonathan Taylor being locked down all season like he has so far.
After racking up a league-high 2,171 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns last season, the Colts back was the consensus top pick in fantasy football this season. With Ryan taking over for Carson Wentz at quarterback, a more functional offense was supposed to make Taylor even more valuable.
That's been far from the case to date. Taylor is struggling to make an impact and has only one touchdown this season. After averaging 5.5 yards per carry last year, he's averaging just 4.0 this season.
Entering Week 5, Taylor was ranked 24th among all running backs in fantasy points. Then he missed the Thursday Night Football matchup against the Denver Broncos with an ankle injury.
But here's the good news: Taylor is no stranger to slow starts. Last season, he was 24th in fantasy points through the first four weeks of the season before he went on a tear.
Zak Keefer of The Athletic reported the Colts are "optimistic" Taylor will return in Week 6.
Taylor is going to have to overcome poor blocking, but that's something he's done before. Player Profiler ranked his run blocking as 42nd among all running backs in 2021. He's ranked 42nd this season, too.
It took Taylor time to overcome his blocking last season, but he's too talented to continue to be held in check by opposing defenses.
QB Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos
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This might be cheating, but we'll lump Russell Wilson and the Denver Broncos together since the two are inextricably linked.
The Broncos placed a large wager this offseason that Wilson could be the quarterback to unlock the potential of their offense. The initial returns have been concerning, to say the least.
Through the first five weeks of the season, Wilson is 26th in total QBR. He has thrown multiple touchdowns in only one game and is leading an offense that's 31st in scoring.
As Wilson has gone, so have the Broncos, who are now 2-3 and facing an uphill battle in the AFC West. There is hope, though.
“It takes time,” one AFC scout told Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus. “You just don’t roll out there and play ball and think you’re gonna win the Super Bowl. I have no idea why people were hyping that so fast.”
The good news is that the Broncos have some additional time to figure things out after playing the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday night. They have the Los Angeles Chargers, New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars on deck over the next three weeks before their bye week.
None of those teams have been dominant on defense. The Chargers have surrendered the third-most points in the league. The Jets squeaked by the Pittsburgh Steelers before beating up on the Tua Tagovailoa-less Miami Dolphins over the last two weeks. The Jaguars clearly have some kinks to work out after losing to the previously winless Houston Texans.
Don't write off Wilson and the Broncos just yet.
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