NFL Power Rankings: The Most Disappointing Teams of the 2011 Season

For every surprise story like the Cincinnati Bengals and Denver Broncos, there are just as many disappointments.

This year there were bad teams—and then there were really bad teams. Teams that turned into walking doormats by season's end, teams that did everything but wave the white flag.

The following three squads took a major step back in 2011:

29. Minnesota Vikings (3-13)

Donovan McNabb was supposed to provide the seamless transition from Brett Favre to Christian Ponder. Instead, he went 1-5 and destroyed the Vikings season by mid-October.

Aside from Jared Allen and Adrian Peterson, you could question the effort of this team at times on every position on the field. Ponder notched two wins the rest of the season, but seemed to regress as the year wore on and other teams gathered film on him.

Now management has to figure out if they go forward with Ponder or start over again with Robert Griffin III.

Nothing was accomplished this season.

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12)

No team quit on their coach more than the Bucs, and it comes as no shocker that Raheem Morris was promptly fired Monday morning. After notching a 10-6 season, the expectations were sky-high for the youngest team in the league entering the 2011 season.

Instead, a 4-2 start ended with a 10-game losing streak where the team wasn’t even competitive. Their last five losses were all by 15 or more points including a 48-16 beat down at the hands of lowly Carolina.

The young Bucs need a no-nonsense coach to come in and clean up this mess. There is no excuse for the complete lack of effort for over half the season.

32. St. Louis Rams (2-14)

The Rams took the biggest step back in 2011.

After just missing the postseason in 2010, the sky was the limit for Sam Bradford and the improving Rams offense.

Instead, the offensive line was a massive disappointment and the Rams offense was by far the worst in the league. Their 12.1 points per game was a full point lower than the next worst team.

They ranked 30^th in passing yards, 31^st against the run and their second-leading receiver had 431 yards.

The Rams are in complete rebuilding mode yet again after making so much progress in 2010. Nobody was a bigger disappointment in 2011. 

Eric Ball's Final NFL Power Rankings

1. Green Bay Packers (15-1)

2. New Orleans Saints (13-3)

3. New England Patriots (13-3)

4. San Francisco 49ers (13-3)

5. Baltimore Ravens (12-4)

6. Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)

7. Atlanta Falcons (10-6)

8. Detroit Lions (10-6)

9. Houston Texans (10-6)

10. Cincinnati Bengals (9-7)

11. Denver Broncos (8-8)

12. New York Giants (9-7)

13. Oakland Raiders (8-8)

14. Philadelphia Eagles (8-8)

15. New York Jets (8-8)

16. Tennessee Titans (9-7)

17. Dallas Cowboys (8-8)

18. Chicago Bears (7-9)

19. San Diego Chargers (8-8)

20. Arizona Cardinals (8-8)

21. Seattle Seahawks (7-9)

22. Buffalo Bills (6-10)

23. Kansas City Chiefs (7-9)

24. Carolina Panthers (6-10)

25. Miami Dolphins (6-10)

26. Washington Redskins (5-11)

27. Jacksonville Jaguars (4-12)

28. Cleveland Browns (4-12)

29. Minnesota Vikings (3-13)

30. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-12)

31. Indianapolis Colts (2-14)

32. St. Louis Rams (2-14)