They should still play the games, because NFL football is fun. But after two weeks there are certain teams that look like Super Bowl contenders, and others that look like contenders for the top overall draft pick.
These are four of the latter, and the reasons why they won’t be relevant again until draft day.
Chicago Bears
Yes, the Bears have a win. But did you watch that win? Or more relevant, did you see their loss at Green Bay?
This roster is as ugly as any in football, and Justin Fields looks like he has no idea what to do with pressure. The Bears rank 23rd in Real Quarterback Rating, a comprehensive quarterback stat provided by Cold, Hard Football Facts, and they are 29th in Real Passing Yds/Attempt.
Fields has 191 passing yards in two weeks, he hasn’t completed more than eight passes in either of their games, and this Bears team won’t win more than four games this season.
Carolina Panthers
It took almost two months for the Sam Darnold experiment to blow up in Carolina. If you remember, he started 3-0 last season. For the Baker Mayfield experiment, after two weeks we’re ready to move on.
It’s puzzling, because Mayfield has had a much better early career than Darnold, but he has looked overmatched and very much like a player who can be a backup, but nothing more.
Even with Christian McCaffrey, Robbie Anderson, and DJ Moore, the Panthers rank 31st in Cold, Hard Football Facts’ Real Quarterback Rating, and 24th in Real Passing Yds/Attempt.
Indianapolis Colts
Matt Ryan is a former MVP and one of the most underrated quarterbacks over the last 15 years. But right now, using the stats compiled by Cold, Hard Football Facts, he’s the lowest rated quarterback in the NFL. The Colts rank 32nd in Real Quarterback Rating, 32nd in Offensive Passer Rating, and 32nd in Scoreability – which measures an offense’s ability to turn yards into points.
Dead last is not what the Colts envisioned when they made the switch at quarterback to Ryan, and getting shut out at Jacksonville is a precursor to even more embarrassments to come for the Colts.
Tennessee Titans
The Titans team that was the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs last year should never lose at home to the Giants. This year’s team, however, did.
That 2021 Titans would never allow a loss to the Giants to carry over to an embarrassing game against AFC power Buffalo. This year’s team, however, did. And to call it embarrassing might be an understatement.
Derrick Henry ran for just 25 yards and averaged 1.9 yards per carry. Ryan Tannehill finished the game with just 117 yards, and he threw two picks. And with 10 possessions on the night, not including the expiration of the end of the first half, the Titans had six punts, two interceptions, a fumble, and one score.
Tennessee is not good, and they won’t be good for the rest of the season.
Read more about the NFL.
