NFL Teams with the Biggest Obstacles to Overcome After Week 1

Losing in the first week of the season does not necessarily indicate that a team has major problems or has to change its game plan.

Just as an early-season win may not be an indicator of great things ahead, an early loss does not mean a team and its smarter fans should start to panic.

But obstacles can be presented early in the season, and teams have to figure out a way to overcome them. In this piece, we look at seven teams who have to figure out a way to remove obstacles if they are going to be successful in 2015.

Pittsburgh Steelers: Defensive Inefficiency

Gene J. Puskar/Associated Press

Steelers defensive coordinator Keith Butler

While the defending Super Bowl champion New England Patriots were expected to come away with the win when they opened the season last Thursday night against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they knew they would be in for a fight.

The Steelers have plenty of dynamic players on offense, led by wide receiver Antonio Brown and quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. Even though running back Le'Veon Bell was sidelined by a suspension, they also had a ground attack led by DeAngelo Williams.

The Steelers moved the ball up and down the field against the depleted Patriots defense, but they could not stop Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski, and that's basically the reason why the Steelers dropped a 28-21 decision.

The Steelers have some personnel issues on defense, and that's not a surprise to head coach Mike Tomlin. However, new defensive coordinator Keith Butler had a difficult time deploying his defense properly. His players were not positioned correctly and the Steelers never adjusted to Gronkowski going up the middle, presenting himself as a target and then turning upfield and bowling over tacklers.

The Steelers couldn't get off the field on third-down plays, allowing the Patriots to convert 7-of-11 third-down opportunities. They also allowed Brady to feel quite comfortable in the pocket, as he completed 25-of-32 passes for 288 yards with four TDs and no interceptions.

The Steelers had a defensive identity under longtime defensive coordinator Dick LeBeau, but he was not asked back last year because the defense got older and slower. At this point, the Steelers no longer have a defensive identity. They look confused, and Butler must get this solved or he will not be in his position for a long time.

Chicago Bears: Quarterback Makes Big Mistake at Crucial Moment

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The Chicago Bears played the Green Bay Packers fairly tightly in Week 1 before dropping a 31-23 decision at Soldier Field.

That is a familiar outcome when the Packers come to Soldier Field. Green Bay has been victorious in 18 of its last 22 trips to Chicago.

However, after getting blown out twice by the Packers last year, new head coach John Fox had his team prepared for Green Bay, and the two old rivals battled back and forth throughout much of the game. 

There were two problems, and both were predictable. The Bears couldn't contain Aaron Rodgers, who once again looked like the best quarterback in the NFL.

Statistically, Rodgers had an impressive game by completing 18-of-23 passes for 189 yards with three TDs and no interceptions. More than the numbers, Rodgers threw his passes with near-perfect accuracy, bought time with his pocket movement and ran effectively when the opportunity presented itself. 

That's what Rodgers has done to the Bears for years.

Jay Cutler was also predictable. He played well for much of the game, but he threw a crucial interception to Clay Matthews when the Bears were driving to potentially put the tying touchdown on the board. Cutler saw tight end Martellus Bennett open in the secondary, but he did not see Matthews ranging up to make the play.

Cutler tends to make mistakes at crucial moments against the Packers. He saw his record against Green Bay drop to 1-11 since becoming Chicago's quarterback.

Bears fans can have confidence that veteran head coach John Fox and his staff of accomplished assistants will have the team prepared on a weekly basis. Unfortunately, they can also expect Cutler to make critical mistakes at crucial moments.

Houston Texans: No Excuse for Slow Start

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Here's what you should see from the Houston Texans on nearly an every-week basis: a defense that intimidates opponents, takes the ball and gives itself a path to win games with ease.

The Texans have J.J. Watt, the 2014 Defensive Player of the Year. He is simply unblockable and is a one-man wrecking crew when he turns the corner, flattens out and has the opposing quarterback within his sights. 

Watt has plenty of company on the defensive side of the ball. Jadeveon Clowney was the No. 1 pick in the 2014 draft, and he has nearly as much athletic ability as Watt. Throw in linebacker Brian Cushing, and that gives head coach Bill O'Brien three defensive players who have a chance to dominate every week.

So, how did the Texans start the season? By giving up 27 points in the first half to the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs should be quite competitive this year, but they are conservative in their offensive approach.

Nevertheless Alex Smith threw three TD passes against a defense that should dominate.

Many teams would be thrilled to have one player with the gifts of Watt, Clowney or Cushing. The Texans have three and need to assert themselves on defense.

There are no excuses for anything less.

Seattle Seahawks: Hangover Still Causing Problems

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Whether they admitted it or not, the Seahawks were left second-guessing themselves throughout the offseason.

It was the play call. Or the worst play call in the history of football, if you listen to talk-show callers from coast to coast.

The Seahawks, of course, had a chance to win their second consecutive Super Bowl last February. But instead of giving the ball to Marshawn Lynch at the 1-yard line against the New England Patriots, Russell Wilson attempted to throw the ball to wide receiver Ricardo Lockette.

Everyone knows what happened next. Malcolm Butler refused to get suckered by the play, powered through Lockette and made the interception for New England that clinched the Super Bowl.

Seahawks supporters said that they would have won the game had Wilson handed the ball off to Lynch because he would have powered into the end zone.

It may not have been that simple. In their Week 1 overtime loss to the St. Louis Rams, the Seahawks faced a 4th-and-1 call to maintain possession and keep their drive alive. The Rams had scored on a field goal on the opening possession of overtime, and the Seahawks had their opportunity to possess the ball.

Lynch got the fourth-down call, and he was stopped in his tracks by the St. Louis defense.

Not the same situation as the Super Bowl, but fairly similar.

The hangover continues.

Detroit Lions: It's How You Finish

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

For the first 22 minutes of their season opener at San Diego, the Detroit Lions looked like world beaters against the Chargers.

The Lions jumped out to a 21-3 lead, and it looked like they would run the Chargers right out of their own stadium.

The Lions had swagger as Ameer Abdullah ran 24 yards for a touchdowns, Glover Quin returned a Philip Rivers interception 31 yards for a score and as Matthew Stafford threw an 18-yard scoring pass to big tight end Eric Ebron.

But when the Chargers decided enough was enough and hit the Lions back, there was no further response from the visitors.

The Lions lost Ndamukong Suh and Nick Fairley in the offseason, and it seems they may have taken the team's toughness with them. When the opponent answers back, you are supposed to respond in kind. The Lions simply did nothing.

Head coach Jim Caldwell got a lot out of this team last year as the Lions made the playoffs. He may have a team on his hands that has forgotten how to finish.

Denver Broncos: Legend Has Little Left in the Tank

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The Denver Broncos survived their Week 1 encounter with the Baltimore Ravens courtesy of a late interception that was returned for a game-winning touchdown by cornerback Aqib Talib.

That's good news in the standings, but the Broncos have a big issue that will probably keep them from winning the AFC West this year and may even prevent them from having a winning record.

Legendary quarterback Peyton Manning does not have the zip in his fastball any longer. Manning has been a record-setting passer throughout his career, and he still looked like the most dangerous quarterback in the game as recently as the 2013 season.

However, injuries and age took their toll in the second half of last season, and even though Manning had a full offseason to recover, he can't throw the ball the way he once did.

All the 39-year-old Manning can do at this point is dink-and-dunk the ball down the field. Manning completed 24-of-40 passes for 175 yards against the Ravens. That's an average of 4.4 yards per attempt. He averaged 8.3 yards per throw in 2013 and 7.9 yards per attempt last year.

That's a telling stat, and it's one that will keep Manning and the Broncos from having a solid season.

New York Giants: Can Coughlin and Eli Overcome Poor Clock Management?

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Head coach Tom Coughlin and quarterback Eli Manning have been as successful as nearly any coach-quarterback duo in the NFL, with the exception of Bill Belichick and Tom Brady.

Despite winning two Super Bowls together, the Giants are coming off back-to-back losing seasons, and the wolves have howled at both Coughlin and Manning from time to time.

But the Giants brought Coughlin back for the 2015 season and just gave a contract extension to Manning. The idea was that the two men would get the Giants back on track and possibly make another playoff run.

They may yet do that, but they were unable to close out their Week 1 game at Dallas. The Giants led 23-20 late in the fourth quarter and had the ball on a third-and-goal play from the Dallas 1-yard line with 1:43 remaining. The Cowboys were without a timeout.

Instead of powering the ball into the end zone on a running play, Manning rolled out and looked for a passing option. When he couldn't find an open receiver, he tossed the ball out of the back of the end zone.

That stopped the clock, and Josh Brown kicked a 19-yard field goal with 1:37 remaining. If the Giants had run the ball or if Manning had been sacked, the clock would have kept running for another 40 seconds.

Instead, the Cowboys got the ball back with 1:29 remaining and Tony Romo led them down the field easily. He threw a game-winning touchdown pass to Jason Witten with seven seconds remaining.

The Giants failed badly in their decision-making process, and it cost them a game against a divisional opponent. They can't let it happen again.