Last week, we took a look at the eight undefeated teams and how they fared. Only five remain and in regards to the best of the bunch, I think the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Minnesota Vikings proved they have the cogs to make big runs this year. Heck, the Patriots keep winning with John Doe behind center, they may never lose a game.
Well what about the other side of the spectrum? Who is the worst team in the NFL?
There are four teams without a win this season. The New Orleans Saints are one of them. This is my blog, so it is heavy in my personal opinion, but I simply don’t think what the Saints accomplish on offense will ever truly have them in the ranks of the “worst NFL team”. Yes, their defense is atrocious. Yes, it’s hard to believe that Jairus Byrd has a job after being humiliated in prime time Monday Night. But this is the number one pass offense in football who rank third in total yards. They score nearly 27 points a game, and unlike the Jaguars, who seem to show up when they are down in the fourth quarter, the Saints always score. They have simply been a “whoever scores last, wins” team for too long now.
Ah, the Jaguars. Another 0-3 team. The San Diego Chargers game showed a lot of what I think about the Jags. Trailing 35-0 into the fourth quarter, Blake Bortles, Allen Robinson and their cohorts “exploded” for 14 points, giving them solid numbers on an otherwise unimpressive day. These numbers give false hope that the Jaguars are a young team on the rise, but are they? They finished 5-11 last year, and are off to an 0-3 start this year after drafting all defense to help their young and exciting offense. Gus Bradley was called out by his players this past week after not putting the pedal to the metal and inevitably losing their small lead in the fourth quarter when they finally one. He better muster up a win across the pond, or he may have an extended European vacation.
The Chicago Bears don’t have a win. Man, they are bad. They are 30th in points scored and rushing and 27th in total yards. Their defense is also rather woeful as they have been outscored by an NFL worst 38 points. But are they really that bad, or are they just not healthy? Could a healthy Jay Cutler, Jeremy Langford, Alshon Jeffrey combo really be this bad on offense? Well, Jordan Howard has looked good and if Cutler can get back quickly, we may be able to find out, but for right now, any team that is forced to be led by Brian Hoyer gets an incomplete.
That brings us to the Cleveland Browns. They are also 0-3. With the news of Josh Gordon entering rehab, they are also officially void of having a true NFL superstar. They have lost not one, but two of their starting quarterbacks. And Hue Jackson just devised a game plane that got the most out of Cody Kessler and Terrelle Pryor at quarterback, nearly ruining everyone’s week in their Survivor Pool and almost upending the Miami Dolphins.
That’s why I think the Dolphins may be the worst team in the NFL right now. Sure, the Browns are 0-3, but did we expect anything else? My boss told me he gave up the Sunday Ticket just so he wouldn’t have to watch the season his beloved Cleveland Browns were about to have. There is nothing surprising about an 0-3 start, and you can actually say with some of their performances and throughout all the off field drama they have endured, that Jackson has this team looking halfway decent… for who they are.
Every year we hear another excuse about the Dolphins. Ryan Tannehill has had so many head coaches. Joe Philbin had no control of the locker room. Bullygate. Blah, blah, blah. This defense currently has no answer for anything, including the Cleveland Browns. They seem to clamp down, but when they do it’s too late.
They let the Jimmy Garropollo led Patriots jump out to 24-3 lead and were able to sneak back in when Jimmy G left with an injury and the Pats went ultra-conservative with Jocoby Brissett. They had the Seahawks on the ropes at home and buckled on the final drive. Last night, they allowed the Bengals to drive all over the field and then clamped down inside the red zone, again too late as Mike Nugent booted five field goals. Five field goals that doubled the score the Dolphins achieved all night that came on one 70-yard (possibly broken) play by Kenny Stills… the same Kenny Stills that dropped a key pass a few weeks earlier.
Maybe Ryan Tannehill just isn’t that good. I’m also not sure why they felt Arian Foster would help the turn around. I love the guy more than most, but he is broken, and continues to be and now have the weight of the load on a young and inexperienced running committee.
Maybe the Browns or the Bears are still worse, but I think Miami fans are in for a long season.