NFL Week 3 Predictions: Which 0-2 Team Should Be Most Worried?
Now that Week 2 of the 2010 NFL season has come and went, we all have a much clearer picture of each team's ability.
In addition, a handful of teams have dropped down to a dismal 0-2, some of which are very surprising and others not so much.
Nonetheless, those teams should be concerned as it significantly decreases the odds of qualifying for the playoffs.
Therefore, here is my ranking of how worried the eight 0-2 teams should be.
Note: I've decided to ask the 'experts' on the respective teams to provide their insight. However, the rankings of most concerning are solely mine.
8. Detroit Lions
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NFL Deputy Editor Dylan MacNamara said:
The Lions are about as promising an 0-2 team as there is in the NFL right now.
A controversial loss to the Bears, followed up by a gritty come from behind loss to the Eagles, has to have Lions fans feeling optimistic about the future.
The team has a young nucleus of skill talent (Jahvid Best, Calvin Johnson, Louis Delmas, Matt Stafford) that if they can stay healthy, should be competing for a Division title in a few years.
For now, they'll have to continue gelling on both sides of the ball and hope for a 6-7 win season.
7. St. Louis Rams
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NFC Team Leader Lou DiPetro said:
The Rams lost the final 10 games of 2008 and went 1-15 in Steve Spagnuolo's inaugural year, so them being 0-2 shouldn't be a surprise.
But, they are improving. The offense isn't great, but they have the franchise QB now, and he's developed a quick rapport with Mark Clayton that could ne a great combo in a few years. As long as Steven Jackson stays healthy and/or the team finds an eventual replacement for him, they can only go up.
The D is still a work in progress (especially without Leonard Little), but they've played well on the whole and the Rams are a couple breaks away from being 2-0.
It's likely at least one more year (and maybe two or three) of a Top 5 pick, but they're back on the rise. Remember, it took the Colts a few years and a guy named Manning to recover after their mid-90s fall from grace.
6. Buffalo Bills
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NFC Team Leader Lou DiPetro said:
Have you seen this team? Watch one game and you'll see why they're 0-2. But if you can't, here's a quick synopsis:
For one thing, they have no quarterback. Trent Edwards and Ryan Fitzpatrick could both make nice careers as backups on teams with durable QBs, as they're placeholders at best. They can't do anything exciting and make way too many mistakes to be effective starters, yet here they are.
That inability is exacerbated by the fact that their offense is, as a whole, anemic. Lee Evans has gone from emerging elite receiver to forgotten in the span of a couple seasons, simply because the best they've put opposite him is an aging Terrell Owens. They have some weapons at running back, but not many teams run three-back sets and neither CJ Spiller nor Fred Jackson is good enough to split out as a receiver consistently.
I won't even get into their D, because Aaron Schobel's retirement, Jairus Byrd's troublesome hip and Paul Posluszny's affinity for the MRI machine make an already suspect defense a lot worse.
The blame for this falls strictly on management. CJ Spiller is a nice player, but pretty much everyone not associated with the team is still wondering why Colt McCoy or Jimmy Clausen aren't there. Honestly, I feel bad for Chan Gailey; two games into whatever his tenure ends up being, he might be the only one that doesn't know he's simply a fall guy brought in to triple check a fact most of us already knew: this group of players isn't good.
At the very least, they're staring down another 4-12 season so they'll have a very good shot at getting Jake Locker, Case Keenum (who's now injured, so he'll fit in well), or any other highly touted QB very high in the draft.
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5. Cleveland Browns
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AFC Team Leader (and Cleveland Browns FC) Daniel Wolf said:
Where to start with the Browns? The best place is to start with the terrible adjustments, or lack-thereof, during halftime.
Two weeks are in the books that at the half of each of the first two games the Browns were winning against the Bucs and Chiefs—only to make zero adjustments at the half and lose each game.
On top of that, Offensive Coordinator Brian Daboll has been solid in the first half with his play calling, but it appears he has no clue how to continue that play calling into the second half.
The Brown offense has been inept and closely resembles the 2009 Browns offense that went 1-11 before going on a winning streak in the second half of the first two games this season.
Mike Holmgren needs to step in now before he begins losing the fan base this early in the season, and he needs to make an example of someone and that person would most likely be the firing of Daboll. Since Holmgren brought his former Offensive Coordinator, Gil Haskell from Seattle, Haskell could step in and run the offense for the remainder of the season if needed.
That still does not bode well for Mangini, since Daboll is one of his guys and Mangini does not appear to be dealing with the problems on offense since he is too loyal to Daboll.
Is there optimism?
As long as Josh Cribbs is on the field, then there will be and running back Peyton Hillis is already No. 2 on the fan favorite list for Browns Backers too.
With the bad play calling on offense, fans want both Cribbs and Hillis to get as many touches per game as possible right now, but Mangini seems to not realize this and that alone could lead to him losing his job sooner than later.
One final bright spot is rookie second round pick T.J. Ward who has 22 tackles in two games and looks to be one of the steals of the 2010 draft right now.
Carolina Panthers
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Carolina Panthers Featured Columnist George Anderson said:
The Panthers are winless for a number of reasons. Their defensive line is struggling to get sacks. They had opportunities against Tampa and Freeman just shook them off.
Also, the Panthers are missing their seconday. What was thought to be a strength has been beaten deep on a number of times.
Combine these and you get one of the worst 3rd down defenses in the NFL. Offensively, everything has gone wrong.
The running game is non-existent due to the lack of push from the line. No second receiver has stepped up and the tight ends are more reliable targets. Finally, the passing game starts with the quarterback making smart decisions and obviously none have been made.
The main guy to blame for the offense is Jeff Davidson. I know Carolina is a running team, but does he have to make it so obvious? I knew what Carolina was going to do every play for three straight drives.
In the end, though, it is up to the quarterback to throw the ball. Moore was constantly missing open receivers and now has been benched. To go with Moore, I think the receivers need to be blamed. Not Gettis, but Jarret for sure. He has been given every opportunity and will be gone with this kind of lack of production.
Defensively, the one I blame is whoever decided to trade Chris Harris. He was the quarterback of that secondary and they look lost without him. I'm not saying Martin and Godfrey aren't good, but they are not leaders yet.
Surprisingly, the Panthers have done some things well. The tight ends are doing a good job getting open and are becoming a bigger part of the offense, especially Rosario who is having a good year.
On the defensive side of the ball, Charles Godfrey has been a beast. He may not be a leader like Harris, but the guy hits hard. Also, the linebacker core has done well. Beason has done well in his new position, Anderson has filled in well for Diggs, and Connor is upholding Penn State's reputation as Linebacker U.
As far as optimism goes, it is more about seeing Jimmy Clausen play than how well the Panthers will do record wise. We just lost to Tampa, the playoffs are only a dream, but to see the franchise quarterback lead Carolina to maybe 8-8 is still in reach.
San Francisco 49ers
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NFL (and San Francisco 49ers) Featured Columnist Mihir Bhagat said:
The San Francisco 49ers may be 0-2, but there's no need to worry much. They will improve, and should still qualify for the playoffs by claiming the division crown in a weak NFC West.
In their first game, against the Seahawks, they simply lacked focus and discipline. The offensive line was horrible, and it trickled down in a domino effect throughout the team.
Yesterday, in their home opener against the defending champ Saints, they already displayed significant strides and took it to the wire. The play-calling was great, and their defense looked stout.
On a side note, Alex Smith has received tremendous criticism for his play, but I honestly don't think he deserves it. Undoubtedly, this is a make or break season and shouldn't have any more excuses. At the same time, nobody should expect him to throw 45 times and be effective.
In my opinion, as long as they can fix their problem with turnovers and penalties, they should be good to go.
Minnesota Vikings
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Minnesota Vikings Featured Columnist Tanner Thoms said:
The Vikings are showing a serious lack of emotion and inspiration. I believe it stems from lack of chemistry. Brett just doesn't seem in sync with Greg Camarillo, Bernard Berrian, and Percy Harvin. They also have shown that they can't score points when they're needed most. Minnesota hasn't scored first in either one of their games this season. They have also trailed for a large majority of both contests.
Everybody except for Adrian Peterson, Visanthe Shiancoe, and the defense is to blame. Brett Favre just hasn't shown up through the first two games. Three picks in one game is absolutely unacceptable. Greg Camarillo's lack of production is also killing the Vikings on offense. When brought in, Camarillo was expected to be a guy that could make all the catches. Thus far, Greg has two catches for 32 yards this season. Nobody on offense, except for Shiancoe and Peterson, have shown me that they are worth the money they are making.
Luckily, they've done a nice job stopping the pass. The Vikings are known for their run defense, but their pass defense has been surprisingly well so far. They prevented Drew Brees from getting his usual 300-yard performance. Minnesota is even doing this without starting cornerback, Cedric Griffin. They've also only allowed 28 points, which averages to 14 PPG. The defense has been absolutely superb, as expected.
Optimistically speaking I believe that despite starting off 0-2, Minnesota will rebound. They have far too much talent to not be a team about .500. If Vincent Jackson winds up on the Vikings, the passing game will thrive. Adding Sidney Rice into the mix when he returns will be a major benefit. I do believe that if Minnesota can get a fairly big win against Detroit on Sunday, their momentum and morale will skyrocket. With that said, I don't believe Minnesota has much of a chance to win the NFC North with Green Bay's 2-0 start.
Dallas Cowboys
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Dallas Cowboys Featured Columnist Derek Major said:
The Cowboys have no one to blame but themselves for being 0-2. Turnovers, penalties, blown assignments and a lack of creating turnovers are all the reasons they haven’t won a game yet. Once they get some discipline and stop putting the ball on the ground at important moments of the game they should finally win.
The one thing the Cowboys have done well is move the ball. They’re in the top five in passing yards per game and total offense. So getting down the field is not an issue.
However for all that ball movement they only have two TDs as an offense, so they haven’t been finishing drives.
There is still optimism because the Cowboys are just one game back in their division and have played just one division opponent. However they have the third hardest schedule in the league, so they have to get to work.
Thanks!
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I would like to personally thank all the writers who contributed to this slideshow.
Hopefully, all these teams can turn their fortunes around.
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