NFL Power Rankings: The Best Losing Teams in the League
The Houston Texans gave the Baltimore Ravens everything they had on Monday night and it still wasn't enough. With tonight's loss the Texans, now 5-8, add to a disappointing season of near misses. They aren't the only ones either.
While there are some really good teams in the NFL this season (Atlanta Falcons,New England Patriots) , as well as some pretty bad ones (Carolina Panthers, Cincinnati Bengals), there are those with bad records who, were it not for a few bad calls or dropped passes would be in the playoff picture right now. This is the list of the best "worst" teams in the NFL.
10. Seattle Seahwaks
1 of 10
At 6-7, the Seattle Seahawks may be the strangest team int he league. They're certainly the hardest to place a finger on week in and week out. They have games where they beat the stuffing of teams, then games where they lose by 20. They are far and away the most inconsistent team in the NFL today. What's funny, though, is that they still have a very lagit shot of making the playoffs.
9. Buffalo Bills
2 of 10
The Bills find themselves rounding out the bottom of the AFC East. Again. Despite their scrant 3 wins, this is a team that took the Ravens and Pats to the wire. Were it not for that Dropped pass in the back of the end zone by a usually clutch steve Johnson, the Bills would have beaten the Steelers. Ryan Fitzpatrick is surprising people with how well he's playing this season. This is a team that's a few tweeks (and caught balls) from being a serious contender.
8. Detriot Lions
3 of 10
The Detroit Lions don't make it easy for people. They pulled a huge upset against Green Bay this weekend, not to mention sent Aaron Rodgers to the bench with a concussion. This is a team that, with the exception of the huge Thanksgiving loss to New England, has not been beaten up on. They lost by a field goal to Philly, two points to Green Bay, eight to the Giants, three to the Jets in over time and were it not for Calvin Johnson being ignorant of a rule that nobody knew and a terrible call against the boy named Suh, they would have beaten the Bears twice.
And has anyone noticed how their quarterbacks all seem to be playing pretty well? The Lions are getting pretty tired of being the laughing stocks of the NFL and they're almost ready to shut everyone up.
.jpg?w=256 "Colts Jaguars Football")
7. Minnesota Vikings
4 of 10
Brett Favre has been awful this season. Adrian Peterson, however, has been pretty good. Still, that's only translated to 5 wins for the Vikings. They're another team with a ton of near misses and close games. Unfortunatly, they have a few blow outs too. Maybe things well be a little better next year when all the Favre drama is finally over. Maybe.
6. Washington Redskins
5 of 10
Donovan McNabb cannot do enough to get ths team to win in Washington. A look at some of his stats this year might suggest that he's not doing so well, and he's not, but it's not as simply as it looks. The Redskins are riddled with injuries in nearly every position and Donovan is doing the best he can with very little. Has anyone noticed he's going to finish the season with close to 4,000 yards?
This is a team that has flip flopped all season, tight wins and losses, any of which could have gone the other way.
A lot of the other teams on this list are young and inexpereinced, the Redskins are not, but it is almost like the first year in a number of ways. Maybe next year.
5. Dallas Cowboys
6 of 10
Jason Garret is a stripped pass and 91 touchdown pass from having a perfect record as a mid season coach. The Cowboys are a new team under him and have proven in the past few weeks.Though they are without a dount the biggest disappointment in recent memory, the Dallas Cowboys are making strides toward becoming one of the better teams in the league for years to come.
And, by the way, where was this Jon Kitna is Detriot and Cincy? The guys is playing like a real strating quarterback.
4.Cleavland Browns
7 of 10
Cleveland needed a pick me up these year after Labron dashed their hopes of winning an NBA title. They were hopeful after the end of the last season that it might come in a brown and white uniform. It's come close.
The Browns are a solid team. If they played in the NFC West they would own that division. No one expected Colt McCoy to come and play liked he pissed he got drafted after Jimmy Clausen. No one expected Peyton Hillis to be the best guy named Peyton i the league this year. No one expected Eric Mangini to come out and beat the snot out of his mentor's team. This is a team that beat the Saints and the Patriots in back to back weeks by a combines score of 64-31. It's also a team, like all the rest on this list, that has just been on the wrong side of luck all season; they've accumulated more coulda, shoulda, wouldas than wins.
3. Oakland Raiders
8 of 10
The Raiders are a team that takes two steps forward and three steps back. You may not believe this, but they are one of the best rushing teams in the league and have yet to be beaten in their division. In their six games prior to Sunday, where they just barely lost to the Jaguars, they were 4-2.
Darren Mcfadden has been playing like a man possessed this season, despite not being sure who's going to be handing the ball off to him form one week to the next. Interestingly enough, though, the raiders still have an outside shot of making the playoffs. That's something scarier than their fans.
2. Houston Texans
9 of 10
The Texans are a team you almost can't help cheering for. Coming off their first winning season, they were supposed to do big things this year. Strangely enough, they have. Winning just hasn't been one of those things.
In their eight losses, five of them were by ten points or fewer. This team personifies the adage about the inability to find a way to win. The just can't seal the deal, despite having come close on so many occasions. What's worse is that they're really not a bad team. They have a top ten offense with one of the better Quarterbacks in the league and one of the best receivers and yet they still can't pull above the .500 mark. The word bad doesn't really apply to these guys. The word frustrating, however, fails.
1. St. Louis Rams
10 of 10
The only reason the Rams are at the top of this list is because they are the only teamon this list that I'm convinced will actaully go to the playoffs. Despite being stuck in a tie for first with the Seahwaks, the Rams are just a better team. Which isn't saying a lot.
The Rams aren't bad, they're just not good. Not yet. They have a lot of the right peices, but they're simply young and working well above what they were expected. They have a couple of quality wins and a few heart breaking losses, but if they do make the playoffs there is little doubt they will be sent home before the game even gets to half time. The good thing is, they have time. Steven Jackson is good. Sam Bradford is good. James Laurenitis and O.J. Atogwe are both good. This team has potential and will capitalize on it in years to come.
.jpg?w=480 "Colts Jaguars Football")
