NFL Teams That Fans Should Be Worried About Heading into Week 2

It could be getting late early for several NFL teams.

Yes, the NFL season is only one week old and a poor opening performance definitely doesn't remove a team from playoff contention. There's no reason for mass hysteria and panic to infect a fanbase—yet.

But for these five NFL franchises, there is significant cause for worry. All of the squads listed in this column are staring down the barrel of 0-2 and are uncertain to recover if they find themselves in that particular hole.

Teams that were widely expected to be dreadful (Looking at you, Dallas Cowboys) have not been included.

Sorrow in St. Louis

In Greek mythology, there exists a character named King Midas, who possessed the power to transmute anything he touched into gold—known, of course, as "The Midas Touch."

Unfortunately for the great fans of the St. Louis Rams, it appears that coach Jeff Fisher and general manager Les Snead run in direct contrast to Midas: Everything they touch turns into a dumpster that just so happens to be engulfed by flames.

Fisher and Snead made an obvious error when they foolishly decided to keep quarterback Sam Bradford around for another year, despite Bradford missing 15 games over the previous four seasons and suffering a torn ACL in 2013. Bradford, the No. 1 overall pick of the 2010 draft, never dazzled to the point where he resembled a legitimate franchise quarterback.

The Rams had two first-round selections (No. 2 and No. 13 overall) in this past May's draft and could easily have hit the reset button at the quarterback position. Instead, they opted to bring back Bradford, which seemed foolish then and is cataclysmic in retrospect.

Bradford tore the same ACL again this preseason and was lost for the year, meaning that at season's end, he'll have missed 31 out of a possible 80 games since being drafted. His future in St. Louis appears murky.

But the near future for the Rams appears crystal clear, and the forecast calls for losing, losing and more losing.

Backup signal-caller Shaun Hill, thrust into the starting lineup, suffered a thigh/quad injury in the club's 34-6 Week 1 home loss to the Minnesota Vikings and didn't practice Wednesday, per Nick Wagoner of ESPN.com. If Hill can't go Sunday in Tampa Bay against the Buccaneers, that would leave third-year passer Austin Davis as the de facto starter.

And that brings up a follow-up question: Who in the world is Austin Davis, and why is he on track to start an NFL game in September?

Fisher and Snead worked their anti-Midas touch again Wednesday, when it was announced that star defensive end Chris Long would miss the next eight to 10 weeks after undergoing ankle surgery. Losing Long is a devastating blow to a hyped Rams pass rush that didn't manage a single sack against Vikings quarterback Matt Cassel, who possesses all the mobility of an especially rigid gargoyle.

It's difficult to envision a scenario in which Davis can win a game on the road against a tough Buccaneers defense, and it appears likely that the Rams will start the year 0-2. And given the fact that the Rams play in the rough-and-tumble NFC West, the team is in a lot of trouble.

This ain't 1999, Rams fans. Kurt Warner ain't walking through that door. Marshall Faulk is on the NFL Network. Dick Vermeil is off having a good cry somewhere.

At this point, not even King Midas could save the Rams. 

Rams fans, be worried. Be very, very worried.

They Might Be Giants...If They Could Pass Protect

In the coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning era on Broadway, the New York Giants have succeeded on offense when they've protected Manning and run the football. Last season, they did neither of those things, and Big Blue went 7-9 and missed the postseason for the second consecutive year.

So, this past offseason, one would have expected general manager Jerry Reese to improve the offensive line, and for three primary reasons. First, to give Manning a chance to throw the ball downfield. Second, to open up holes in the stagnant run game. And third and most importantly, to make sure Manning isn't peeled off the gridiron with a spatula.

Bill Kostroun/Associated Press

While Manning wasn't quite pounded into the Ford Field turf this past Monday night in Motown, he was under duress for much of the game as the Giants dropped an embarrassing 35-14 decision to the Detroit Lions. Manning was sacked twice and was often running for his life with the zeal of a teenage boy racing to his computer after hearing about the recent iCloud hack.

When Manning did have time to pass, he seemed horribly out of sync with his receivers. Offensive coordinator Ben McAdoo didn't exactly have a smashing debut, as his unit looked confused and out of sorts. It doesn't help that McAdoo looks like he should be chain-smoking Marlboro Reds at a Tallahassee truck stop.

The defense actually wasn't abysmal against Detroit and could have kept the team in the game if the offense even slightly resembled a competent unit. But, apparently, that's asking too much from McAdoo, Coughlin, Reese, Manning and the offensive line.

As long as Manning doesn't receive the proper protection, the Giants have zero chance of success. Sunday's game against the Arizona Cardinals looms as a major one, as Big Blue will desperately want to avoid starting 0-2.

This Isn't Your Father's Chicago Bears Defense...and That Isn't a Good Thing

Do you remember when the Chicago Bears defense was referred to as "The Monsters of the Midway"?

Do you remember the proud lineage of Bears defenders—from Dick Butkus to Mike Singletary to Brian Urlacher—that defined both a city and a franchise?

After watching the slop the team has thrown out on defense over the last calendar year, you might be forgiven if you're having trouble conjuring up images of Bears defenders actually making plays.

In a season where it's playoffs or bust, the Bears opened up in dreadful fashion, dropping a 23-20 home decision to the Buffalo Bills—a team they should have beaten. 

Nam Y. Huh/Associated Press

This past offseason, while we were all seduced by the intoxicating notion of an explosive Bears offense, we seemingly forgot about just how atrocious the defense was last year and had the potential to be this campaign.

Last year, the Bears allowed a ridiculous 5.3 yards per carry, and the defensive shortcomings kept them from reaching the postseason. While general manager Phil Emery made a spate of signings and draft picks to fix the broken unit, his efforts haven't yet manifested in positive results. The Bills gashed Chicago on the ground, with 33 carries for 198 yards, an average of 6.0 yards per carry.

Yikes.

There's no question that the offense deserves some of the blame too. While quarterback Jay Cutler put up a decent stat line—34-of-49 for 349 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions—only scoring 20 points at home against a Bills defense that's without top cornerback Stephon Gilmore is not good enough.

The Bears face an extremely tough schedule over the next few weeks, starting with Sunday night's tilt at brand new Levi's Stadium against the San Francisco 49ers. It's probable that the 49ers will win, which would drop Chicago to 0-2 with games coming up at the Jets, against Green Bay, at Carolina and at Atlanta.

Given the difficulty of the next batch of opponents, Week 1's loss against the inferior Bills seems catastrophic.

The Bears still have the requisite talent and coaching to pull themselves out of the fire. But an 0-2 start will have the Windy City denizens cursing into their deep dish pizza and wondering how another potential playoff season could end up on the fritz.

Forget About Ray Rice For a Moment and Consider This: The Ravens Aren't Good

Isn't it amazing to think that less than two calendar years ago, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco hoisted the Lombardi Trophy and was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLVII?

Since then, the Ravens have been a train wreck, both on and off the field. And the disaster took an epic turn this week with new twists and turns in the Ray Rice saga that rocked the very foundation of not only the team, but the entire National Football League.

GAIL BURTON/Associated Press

Out of all the weeks for the Ravens to host a Thursday night football game, this is probably the least ideal. The fans are angry. The team is coming off a horrific opening loss at the hands of the division rival Cincinnati Bengals and was thoroughly outplayed in that game despite the final score (23-16) dictating otherwise.

This week, the rejuvenated 1-0 Pittsburgh Steelers are coming to town. And the Ravens team being trotted out onto the field doesn't appear to be very good.

New offensive coordinator Gary Kubiak was supposed to breathe life into the club's moribund ground game; instead, Flacco threw the ball a ridiculous 62 times in the loss to Cincinnati. Meanwhile, the defense allowed Cincinnati to march up and down the field and couldn't hold a late lead.

It's fair to wonder just how much focus the coaching staff and team have had this week as they continue to reel from the Rice situation.

If Baltimore loses Thursday night, it'll be 0-2 with two home losses within the division—a crippling blow that would be difficult to recover from.

Right now, the Ravens have the look and feel of both an average football team and a dysfunctional organization. That's a very toxic combination at the beginning of September.

How in the World Did the Chiefs Go 11-5 Last Year?

Last season, the Kansas City Chiefs shocked the world by finishing 11-5 and qualifying for the postseason, buoyed by a fantastic 9-0 start.

There will be no such streak to begin the 2014 season, though, as the team was shellacked by the Tennessee Titans in shocking fashion, 26-10. The result was especially surprising considering the game took place at Arrowhead Stadium, where the Chiefs enjoy one of the league's finest home-field advantages.

In his first game since getting a fat new contract extension, quarterback Alex Smith did his best impression of 2005 Alex Smith, tossing three interceptions. The offensive line was horrendous, allowing four sacks and tons of pressure. Running back Jamaal Charles, the team's best player, received only 11 total touches, which would be like dating Kate Upton and demanding she dress like an Eskimo.

To make matters worse, linebacker Derrick Johnson and defensive lineman Mike DeVito were both lost for the season with torn Achilles tendons, weakening an already suspect unit. 

This Sunday, the Chiefs will surely drop to 0-2 after visiting Peyton Manning and the Denver Broncos. Then the team's schedule looks like this: at Miami, New England, at San Francisco, at San Diego. The Chiefs would be lucky to be 2-4 after their first six games, and it's more likely they'll be 1-5.

Anything can happen in the NFL, as proven by Kansas City's incredible 2013 turnaround. But right now, the worries of the fanbase are justified. The Chiefs are in a world of trouble.