Most disappointing NFL teams so far this season

Five NFL teams are 3-0 after three weeks, and another 10 possess a 2-1 record. With 15 clubs having more wins than losses, that leaves the 17 other teams with a record of 1-2 or worse. Some of the struggling teams were expected to have issues, while others have dealt with surprisingly difficult starts to 2016.

Here are the most disappointing NFL teams after three weeks of play:

Jacksonville Jaguars 

A team overflowing with young talent has struggled to translate its incredible potential into victories on the field. The Jaguars are one of four teams to start 0-3, but late losses against the Green Bay Packers and Baltimore Ravens highlight how tantalizingly close Jacksonville is to being a legitimate contender. A play here, a play there, and the Jaguars could be 2-1.

Hypotheticals aside, the process of learning how to win remains difficult for young teams, and it’s clear the Jaguars aren’t quite there yet. Getting over the hump might come easier if third-year quarterback Blake Bortles starts playing more efficiently (six interceptions, 75.0 passer rating). To make matters worse, the winless Jaguars are being shipped out of the country (to London) for Week 4’s game against the Colts.

Arizona Cardinals

One of the NFL’s final four teams from last season has started 1-2, with losses to Jimmy Garoppolo at home and the previously winless Bills in Buffalo. It’s far too early to panic in Arizona, especially with a missed field goal in the opener separating 1-2 from 2-1. But the Cardinals’ vertical offense has struggled at times to churn out big plays, and LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor ran circles around Arizona’s run defense this past Sunday.

Life isn’t about to get any easier for the Cardinals. Over the next seven games, Arizona faces four divisional opponents, plus the Panthers and Vikings on the road. This gauntlet will test a team that no longer has a ton of wiggle room after a 1-2 start.

Washington Redskins

A disastrous start for the defending NFC East champs was avoided in New York on Sunday, when Washington got a late field goal and an interception of Eli Manning to avoid a 0-3 start. But 1-2 is still disappointing, especially with a pair of home losses already working against them. With the Eagles 3-0 and the Cowboys and Giants both 2-1, it doesn’t look like 9-7 will be good enough to win the division again in 2016.

The Redskins’ schedule is absolutely brutal (seriously, check it out), which leaves very little margin for error on a week-to-week basis. Taking the next step will probably come down to $19.95 million quarterback Kirk Cousins, who has marginally improved with each passing week this season.

Carolina Panthers

No one expected the Panthers to go 15-1 again, but the only win for the defending NFC champs through three weeks came at home against the lowly 49ers. While there was nothing easy about Carolina’s other two games (on the road in Denver, at home against Minnesota), a team with Super Bowl aspirations was beaten up physically in the trenches against both the Broncos and Vikings.

Cam Newton took 11 combined sacks in the two losses, including eight during Sunday’s defeat to Minnesota. Like the Cardinals, Carolina is only a missed field goal away from 2-1, so there’s no reason to panic, yet. But the Panthers can’t be happy with the way they’ve played to start 2016.

Cincinnati Bengals

If not for the Jets missing an extra point and having a short field goal blocked in Week 1, the Bengals could easily be looking at an 0-3 start. Cincinnati has since been out-played by both the Steelers and Broncos in back-to-back weeks, giving the Bengals their first 1-2 start since 2011.

Scoring five touchdowns in three games while allowing nine passing scores isn’t a good look, and Andy Dalton is currently on pace to be sacked 64 times. A chance for the Bengals to get back to .500 comes on Thursday night against Miami, but road games at Dallas and New England loom in the weeks after.

San Diego Chargers

The difference between 3-0 and 1-2 has come down to just a few plays for the Chargers, who squandered a 21-point lead to Kansas City in the opener and two different leads in the second half on Sunday to the Colts. Injuries have only added salt in the wound. San Diego has already lost Stevie Johnson, Keenan Allen, Danny Woodhead and Manti Te’o to season-ending injuries, and first-round pick Joey Bosa hasn’t played a snap in 2016 while dealing with a hamstring issue.

Take away the injuries and throw Bosa into the mix, and maybe the Chargers are one of the NFL’s undefeated teams. Instead, San Diego has one win and one of the NFL’s most lengthy injury reports.

AFC East teams (aside from the Patriots)

The NFL suspended Tom Brady for the first four games of the season, yet somehow, nothing changed in the AFC East picture. It was a golden opportunity for the other teams to put pressure on the Patriots to start 2016, but the Bills, Jets and Dolphins all got out to disappointing 1-2 starts. New England, meanwhile, is 3-0 and rolling toward another division title.

Miami fell behind 31-3 to the Patriots in Week 2 and lost, leaving the Bills with the last opportunity to beat New England before Brady returns. The Dolphins (at Cincinnati) and Jets (vs. Seattle) face tough tests in Week 4, which means the Patriots could gift Brady a three-game lead in the division with a win over the Bills when he returns. Long live the king in the AFC East.

About Zach Kruse

Zach is the associate editor at The Sports Daily. He also covers the NFL for Bleacher Report and CheeseheadTV.

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