Chad Withrow's Knee-Jerk Reaction: Five Worst NFL Teams
It’s that special time of year where football fans draw sweeping conclusions off a very small sample size. Instead of avoiding the inevitable overreactions, let’s jump right in. Here are the five worst teams in the NFL through two weeks.
Brace for impact, AFC South fans.
Five Worst NFL Teams
5) Cincinnati Bengals (0-2)
I feel crazy putting the Bengals on this list after their improbable Super Bowl run but facts are facts. The Bengals looked bad in losses to the Steelers and Cowboys, and neither team looks amazing either. Pittsburgh followed up its win over Cincinnati with a home loss to a pedestrian Patriots team. Meanwhile, the Cowboys got dismantled while managing a field goal and nothing else in a Week 1 home loss to Tampa Bay.
The transitive property hasn’t been kind to Joe Burrow’s Bengals. Pittsburgh picked off Burrow four times, sacked him seven and forced him to fumble. And Cowboys backup QB Cooper Rush passed for 235 yards and a TD en route to the upset. Cooper Rush outplayed Joe Burrow. And for good measure, Burrow was sacked six more times.
To say this start for the Bengals is concerning is an understatement. The revamped offensive line can’t protect its QB. The offensive play-caller seems unwilling to call plays to help protect Burrow too. Things will go from bad to worse in Cincinnati if it can’t do a much better job of keeping its franchise QB upright.
4) Houston Texans (0-1-1)
Getting rid of David Culley and promoting his defensive coordinator to head coach was never going to fix the Texans. Lovie Smith seems like a nice man and should help stabilize the Texans, but his offense is fourth from the bottom of the NFL in yards and his defense ranks second to last in yards allowed.
The good news is the Texans are +2 in turnover margin, but the bad news is they tied the next team on this list at home to open the season. Davis Mills has exceeded everyone’s expectations as the 67th overall pick in the 2021 draft, but does anyone believe he is a true difference maker for a roster as lacking as Houston’s?
The Texans have shown they will battle. But all the effort in the world won’t turn them into a good NFL team in 2022.
3) Indianapolis Colts (0-2)
It’s time to panic in Indy. The Colts offense has been okay at generating yards this season (367.5 ypg) but getting shut out by the Jaguars is a bad look. Matt Ryan has not been good either. It’s time to recognize the Colts for what they are: the most consistently overhyped team in the NFL.
Credit Frank Reich and GM Chris Ballard for being nice guys who will routinely exchange texts with media members. These are two guys who should be squarely on the hot seat, yet there’s not much talk of this in large part because they are great to the media. (Follow @DanDakich if you don’t believe me.) This is also a lesson to future coaches and GMs. If you want the benefit of the doubt, be open and honest with the people covering your team.
COLTS HAVE LOOK OF NFL’S BIGGEST DISAPPOINTMENT TO START SEASON
But I don’t cover the Colts or text with Frank Reich or Chris Ballard. So as a guy with two eyes, all I see is a really bad football team that’s going nowhere in a hurry.
2) Tennessee Titans (0-2)
The Titans can’t be this bad … can they? After taking a 13-0 halftime lead over the Giants in the first half of their first game, Tennessee has been an utter disaster. They ended up allowing 238 yards on the ground to the Giants. And Tennessee could have avoided this list altogether had it connected on a 47-yard field goal to win the game. Game management mistakes cost them. Combine that loss with a trip to Buffalo where the Titans were depantsed on Monday Night Football and you are looking at the second worst team in the NFL.
The one saving grace for the Titans, Colts and Texans is that they all get to play each other in the miserable AFC South. That helps the Titans even more because they are staring at six remaining games against division opponents. Conversely, the Colts have failed to win in two divisional games already.
But this list isn’t about projections; it’s about performance through two weeks, and the Colts at least have a tie to show for their season. All the Titans have to show is a home loss to a bad Giants team and a national TV embarrassment in Orchard Park.
1) Carolina Panthers (0-2)
Say this much for Baker Mayfield. He makes a mean commercial. I was rooting for him in his revenge game against the Browns but instead he showed us why Cleveland preferred a guy currently serving an 11-game suspension. Mayfield was wildly inconsistent while losing at home to a team led by Jacoby Brissett. In Week 2, the Panthers lost to the Giants. Mayfield was outplayed by Daniel Jones. Enough said.
The Panthers managed to lose both games by a late field goal, which could lead one to believe they are simply snakebit. But they lost to the Browns and the Giants. No NFL team sports a two-pack of Ls as bad as Carolina. For that reason, the Panthers top my list as the worst team in the NFL through two weeks.
Let’s check back in a couple weeks and see how much this list changes.
Chad Withrow co-hosts “OutKick 360” across the OutKick Network. Follow him on Twitter: @TheChadWithrow