4 NFL Teams Proving to Be Paper Tigers

Week 1 is in the books and there were some surprise teams that laid the smack down on their opponents.  The Bills' dominant showing over the Chiefs and the 49ers' minute-miracle victory over the Seahawks both lead the way.

But Week 1 gave us a glimpse at some teams with questions as well.  Those teams expected to make playoff runs but looked like anything but playoff teams.

Before we go any further, let me make one thing clear.  The title is a bit misleading here.  One week does not make a season.  The four teams that follow are teams that have serious questions to answer following unexpected performances.  

But it should be kept in mind that the preseason was short and younger teams are going to have their issues on that alone in the early going.  This post is by no means an utter indictment of these teams.  In fact, I still have faith that at least three of these teams will make the playoffs.

That being said, chinks in the armor were exposed and questions arose from the performances laid down by the teams in question.

So without further adieu, let's move forward.

New York Giants

Tom Coughlin is possibly in for a rough year.  Injuries have decimated his secondary, allowing Rex Grossman to post a 300-yard, two-touchdown game and a 110 quarterback rating in a 28-14 loss to the Redskins.

But it wasn't just his defense that stumbled Sunday.  The Eli Manning offense was ineffective at best.  The running game couldn't get going and two costly turnovers—including a Manning interception by Washington first-round pick Ryan Kerrigan that was returned for a touchdown—marked a decidedly poor showing by the Giants.

If the Giants miss the playoffs for a second year in a row, it isn't likely that he'll be able to use the defensive injury list to save his job.  His offense has to perform, and it's uncertain whether they can.

Kansas City Chiefs

Often, we see teams that take a big step forward in a season and follow that up with a step backwards.  Could that be the case in Kansas City?

Todd Haley's team started out looking that way.  The Chiefs were drubbed by the Bills, a team most expected to be at the bottom of the league.

The Chiefs couldn't move the ball against the Bills, with Matt Cassel racking up just 119 yards on 22 completions for all of 5.4 yards per completion and 3.3 yards per attempt on 36 passes.. 

Inexplicably, the Chiefs only rushed 18 times against the league's most porous run defense in 2010.  Why is this so confusing?  Because those 18 rushes accounted for 6.1 yards per carry.  

I understand the need to pass when you're behind, and the Bills jumped out to an early lead.  But when the passing game is providing just 3.3 yards per attempt, maybe it would have been smarter to try and slow the game down, use the running game and get some points on the board.

Pittsburgh Steelers

The Steelers' streak of seven straight wins in home openers and Ben Roethlisberger's streak of seven straight starting victories against the Ravens both came to a screeching halt on Sunday as the Ravens clubbed the Steelers in dominant fashion.

It's only one game, but the Steelers should be concerned with turning the ball over seven times.  Big Ben turned the ball over five times himself, tossing three interceptions and putting the rock on the ground two more times.

Just as troubling should be the fact that last year's league-leading defense allowed 35 points, 385 total yards and 170 rushing yards to the Ravens while creating no turnovers.

Getting beaten by the Ravens is no cause for shame.  But playing the way the Steelers did is, and it raises serious questions about this team.

Atlanta Falcons

Chicago melted Matty Ice and the Falcons on Sunday, and it left questions to be answered in Atlanta.

In a game that looked closer statistically than it was, the Falcons just couldn't put together an offensive drive.

The biggest question the Falcons have to address is their offensive line.  When you play the Chicago Bears and your offensive linemen aren't the best on the field, you have a problem.

Turnovers didn't help the falcons, either.  Matt Ryan tossed an unwise pass towards Brian Urlacher and put the ball on the ground trying to escape Julius Peppers. Urlacher turned it into six points.  Michael Turner lost a fumble to Charles Tillman and Peppers to make it a hat-trick.

Defensively, the Falcons were just as baffling.  Sean Weatherspoon led the team in tackles, but also led the team in missed plays, whiffing on Matt Forte on the RB's screen pass gone for touchdown and getting blocked out of Forte's 27 yard-run—a play that also saw Forte juke Dunta Robinson out of his shoes.  

Cutler and the Bears picked apart the Atlanta secondary even as the Atlanta front seven registered scored four sacks and created pressure most of the game, even providing the only turnover for their defense. If the secondary isn't going to cover anyone, John Abraham, Ray Edwards and the rest of their underrated defensive line can't do it for them.

Atlanta started out in the discussion of the NFC's top teams.  And one game isn't enough to remove them from that discussion.  But if the Falcons, who have a brutal early schedule, don't work out the line and secondary situations, they could quickly find themselves on the outside looking in.

And now it's your turn, ladies and gentlemen.  Step up to the soapbox below—known as the comment thread—and sound off!