The NFL's Most Disappointing Teams of 2014

All 32 NFL teams enter a season with the same goal: Get to the Super Bowl.

With any league come the surprises and the disappointments. Here, we have opted to focus on the latter (we apologize if we sound like Scrooge during this holiday season).

So how did we come up with these eight teams?

For some of these clubs, it’s based on preseason expectations, which come as a result of a team’s recent track record.

For others, the disappointment comes via an in-season collapse or sudden slump. In other words, just when you thought it was safe to assume this team was headed somewhere, something went wrong.

Of course, in other instances, there’s a little bit of both. Last but not least, bad football is another reason to make this list.

It would be easy to just list the teams with the worst record in the league this season. Rest assured, we did not take the easy way out.

8. Cleveland Browns (7-8)

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Is it fair or unfair that the Cleveland Browns are on this list?

You decide. We all know the recent history of this franchise since it reappeared in 1999 as an expansion club.

There were just two winning campaigns (one playoff appearance) in its previous 15 seasons. So when Mike Pettine became the team’s eighth different head coach in 2014, not a lot was necessarily expected.

But then the Browns started to perform. The team forged a 7-4 record after 11 games and was in the thick of the AFC North title race for the first time in seven years. Those seven victories included impressive routs of the playoff-bound Pittsburgh Steelers and Cincinnati Bengals, the latter coming on the road.

Then, it slowly came apart. After a solid start, quarterback Brian Hoyer eventually gave way to first-round pick Johnny Manziel. A talented defense slumped and currently ranks dead last in the league against the run. The Browns have lost their last four games, including three straight at home, and they are still seeking their first winning season since 2007.

7. San Francisco 49ers (7-8)

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Following three consecutive appearances in the NFC Championship Game, we knew 2014 was going to be a different year for the San Francisco 49ers.

Apparently, we didn’t know how different. While it wasn’t unusual to see some prognosticators forecast a non-playoff campaign for this team, who knew that this club would go on a four-game (and counting) losing streak, the longest under current head coach Jim Harbaugh.

While the Niners defense has done its best despite long or total absences this season from former Pro Bowl linebackers NaVorro Bowman, Patrick Willis and Aldon Smith, San Francisco’s offense has been a major disappointment.

Quarterback Colin Kaepernick has thrown for 17 scores this season but has also coughed up the ball 15 times. A Niners’ team that totaled 406 points and 39 offensive touchdowns in 2013 has scored only 286 points and 28 offensive touchdowns in 15 games this year. The team’s 22 turnovers are the most under Harbaugh during his four years at the helm.

What about the much-discussed head coach going forward? Stay tuned.

6. Tennessee Titans (2-13)

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Because this franchise has not been to the playoffs since 2008, some may be very surprised to see this team in the middle of this piece.

But when you play as poorly as the Tennessee Titans have to date, you can’t ignore the facts.

The team’s 2-13 record, which includes a current nine-game losing streak, is the worst by the franchise since 1994, when they were the Houston Oilers and made the Astrodome their home.

This was a 7-9 football team in 2013, and while there was a change at head coach, Ken Whisenhunt came to Nashville with solid credentials.

But it’s been a total disaster. The Titans are ranked 29th in the league in both total offense and defense. Only the Chicago Bears (429) have given up more points than Tennessee (411). The team’s offensive unit, which has used three different starting quarterbacks, has scored just 25 touchdowns.

And while many didn’t expect this club to be a playoff squad, who would have thought the Titans would be vying for the No. 1 pick in the 2015 NFL draft?

5. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (2-13)

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The league’s busiest team during the free agency period this offseason figured to be a contender in the NFC South this year.

And for the majority of 2014, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were just that. Of course, when you grade test papers on a curve, you can make anything look better than it really is.

Despite a 2-13 mark, the Bucs are just four games in the win column behind the other three teams in the division, which will this year have a sub-.500 champion.

As for the team’s performance on the field, it has obviously been pretty dismal. The Buccaneers have been limited to 17 points or fewer in 12 of their 15 contests. Head coach Lovie Smith has seen his club outscored by a combined 102-40 in the first quarter. Only the Oakland Raiders have gained fewer total yards and rushing yards in the league.

Veteran quarterback Josh McCown has been a disappointment after a solid year with the Bears in 2013. And Tampa’s defense, even with Smith and coordinator Leslie Frazier, just doesn’t scare anyone.

4. Chicago Bears (5-10)

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For the first time since 2004, the Chicago Bears have lost at least 10 games.

Following the team’s season finale at Minnesota, it will be intriguing to see what else this team loses.

In his second year as head coach, Marc Trestman is feeling the heat in the Windy City. A year ago, the Bears ranked second in the NFL in scoring. While the defense was dismal in 2013, general manager Phil Emery addressed the unit early and often during free agency and the draft.

But it wasn’t meant to be. And before you heap all the blame on quarterback Jay Cutler and his erratic play this season, think again.

The nine-year signal-caller has thrown 28 touchdown passes but has offset that with a disturbing 24 turnovers. Injuries to talented wide receivers Brandon Marshall and Alshon Jeffery haven’t helped.

Neither has a defensive unit that has not gotten much better in 2014. The Bears have allowed an NFL-high 429 points, as well as 45 offensive touchdowns in 15 games. The previous season, Chicago gave up 478 points and 47 offensive touchdowns.

We could be talking major overhaul in the Windy City.

3. Kansas City Chiefs (8-7)

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This may be the most interesting team on the list. That’s because the Kansas City Chiefs still have a chance of reaching the playoffs if things break their way on Sunday.

But it’s the way that Andy Reid’s club has performed lately that see it make this list.

The team got off to a 0-2 start but quickly got its act together. The Chiefs won seven of their next eight contests, which included a rousing 41-14 Monday-night victory over the New England Patriots (Week 4) and a 24-20 win over the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks in mid-November.

Then the inexplicable happened. Winners of five consecutive games, the Chiefs stubbed their toes on a Thursday night against the then-winless Oakland Raiders. Losses to the Denver Broncos and Arizona Cardinals would follow. After beating the Raiders in Week 15, Reid’s team failed to score a touchdown in a 20-12 loss at Pittsburgh.

Quarterback Alex Smith has been his usual steady self. But none of his 18 touchdown passes have gone to a wide receiver. The defense can rush the passer but has struggled against the run, and the Chiefs have totaled just 11 takeaways in 15 games this year.

As previously mentioned, Kansas City can still be a playoff team for the second straight year with a win over the San Diego Chargers and some help. But this club had a totally different feel to it just over a month ago.

2. New Orleans Saints (6-9)

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It has been a different kind of year in the NFC South, a division that will crown a champion with a sub-.500 record this weekend when the 6-9 Atlanta Falcons host the 6-8-1 Carolina Panthers in a winner-take-all game.

It has also been a vastly different season for the 6-9 New Orleans Saints, who were a playoff team in 2013 with an 11-5 record and could now finish with twice as many losses should the club stub their toes at Tampa Bay on Sunday.

A defensive unit that allowed the fourth-fewest total yards in the league during coordinator Rob Ryan’s first season in the Big Easy in 2013 has now allowed the second-most yards per game in the NFL this season.

The Saints hoped to do a better job of creating turnovers this season after totaling only 19 takeaways a year ago. Unfortunately, free-agent pickup and former Pro Bowl safety Jairus Byrd was a non-factor due to injuries, and this team has only 16 takeaways in 15 games. Quarterback Drew Brees has also had his issues this season, guilty of 17 of the team’s 27 turnovers.

But perhaps the most stunning aspect of this club has been its recent inability to win at home. Head coach Sean Payton has seen his squad drop five consecutive games at the Superdome, quite a turnaround considering New Orleans had won their previous 11 home games.

1. Philadelphia Eagles (9-6)

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After a rocky start in 2013, the Philadelphia Eagles won seven of their final eight games and captured the NFC East. While the team was knocked out of the playoffs at home in the wild-card round, year No. 1 under head coach Chip Kelly was deemed a success in the city of cheesesteaks.

Things looked even better three-quarters into this season. Despite the loss of quarterback Nick Foles and a few missteps on the road, this talented roster had forged a 9-3 mark and was coming off an impressive 33-10 Thanksgiving Day victory over the Cowboys in Dallas.

Then, it all came apart for these Birds, who have not only dropped three straight games but went from Super Bowl hopefuls to out of the playoffs in less than a month. The Eagles can still finish with 10 wins this season, which was good enough to win a division title a year ago, but the Cowboys have already corralled the NFC East.

So what went wrong? A team that turned over the football just 19 times during the regular season in 2013 has coughed it up an amazing 35 times this year, the vast majority of that by Foles (13) and backup Mark Sanchez (13).

The defense stepped it up when it came to the pass rush (49 sacks), but it was feast or famine for a secondary that continually gave up big plays.

The Eagles have allowed 29 touchdown passes this year, surrendering at least two scores through the air in 12 of their 15 outings. And Philadelphia’s failure to play well against the rest of the conference (5-6 vs. NFC teams) has been very surprising.

Considering what was expected before the season and even more so in light of where this team was at the end of November, you can’t like what has happened in the City of Brotherly Love in December.