One year ago, I wrote an article titled NFL Week Three Power Rankings, But Accurate, and its main point was to critique the NFL’s self-published weekly power rankings.
Back in the glory days of the Patriots dynasty (Oh, don’t you worry, the glazing won’t last long. They’re ending up in the bottom 5), I would wake up on a grim high school morning to an Instagram post by the NFL, power ranking all teams 1-32. And, because of the NFL’s consistent vendetta against New England, one loss would set the Pats into a double-digit ranking, but they would always claw their way back into a Super Bowl by the end of the season.
At first, I thought those power rankings were absolute. I thought that my team being ranked around 10th meant our championship hopes were dead in the water. Nowadays, I’ve entered what many fans (Jets, Browns, and Jaguars, to name a few) call the real world. It would take Christ to rise again to get this Patriots team to Super Bowl 59, but he’s a little preoccupied calling games for FOX, so I doubt that’ll happen.
With all this being said, my list will also be subjective, and some might not agree with my choices. However, my list has one advantage over the NFL’s power rankings. I am only grading what I believe to be the worst teams in the league, and aside from their overall records, there’s no Super Bowl to decide who the 32nd-best team in the league is.
5th WORST – NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS (1-2)
I’ve talked about the Patriots enough already to turn away any non-New England fan, so I’ll keep this short and sour. We stink. Our O-line has allowed the highest pressure rate (46.4%) so far this season. Our O-line is so bad that our starting left tackle, Chukwuma Okorafor, allowed two pressures on just six pass-blocking snaps in week one, proceeded to get benched, and then RETIRE. Our O-line is so bad that we can’t think about playing our first-round draft pick out of fear for his life. Our offense will never be close to good this season.
Yes, the defense can be solid, and defense wins championships, but injuries have decayed it from the inside out. Our best lineman, Christian Barmore, is likely out for the season with blood clots. Our best linebacker, Ja’Whaun Bentley, is out for the season with a torn pectoral muscle. Not to mention, the Patriots’ best player from the past few seasons, Matthew Judon, was traded to the Falcons before the season began.
New England’s defense is barely keeping them afloat, but one more injury could easily sink the ship. It’s a good thing that the tallest lighthouse in the US sits behind Gillette Stadium’s north end zone to guide fans out when that inevitably happens.
4th WORST – JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS (0-3)
On paper, Jacksonville has a solid roster. The problem is, that they can’t seem to put any of it together. The Jags remind me of when you feel sick or injured and go to the doctor, only to be told that nothing is wrong with you. You leave more worried and feeling worse than you did going in.
They have one of the highest-rated quarterbacks to ever come out of college, yet the Jags are 0-8 in the last 8 games T-Law has started. Their receiving corps is historically solid, but they are performing historically terribly for their standards. Jacksonville’s O-line is also underperforming. Their left tackle, Cam Robinson, is allowing a pressure rate of 11.6%, the third worst from any lineman in the NFL. Not a great stat from a guy who’s supposed to protect the franchise’s blindside.
Oh, and the Jags just let up 5 touchdowns and nearly 300 yards to the Bills on Monday Night. IN THE FIRST HALF.
3rd WORST – NEW YORK FOOTBALL GIANTS (1-2)
The Giants just pulled out a solid win against the Browns, so some of you may be wondering why I’m placing them as the 3rd worst team in the league. Because they’re the Giants. That’s why.
Don’t get me wrong. Malik Nabers is nasty. As of now, he’s my pick for offensive rookie of the year (Maybe second to Jayden Daniels after his performance on Monday). But, we’ve seen this story before with the Giants.
Remember this guy? Well, his Giants team got one playoff appearance out of him. Oh, a two-time Super Bowl-winning quarterback named Manning was also throwing to him. AND he had Saquon on his offense to go along with it.
As outstanding as Malik Nabers is, Danny Dimes is his quarterback, and teams will put two men on him from now on.
How quickly people have forgotten the week one and two matchups where the Giants’ defense couldn’t get a stop, their run game couldn’t get going, and Danny Dimes was Danny Dimesing. Don’t go expecting anything from the Giants after one win.
2nd WORST – TENNESSEE TITANS (0-3)
Will Levis does not look good, and neither does Tennessee’s O-line. Levis has turned the ball over an abysmal 8 times(!) through three weeks, with 5 interceptions and 3 fumbles.
The only reason I’m not placing the Titans last on my list is their receiving corps. They have three first-round draft picks, one being DeAndre Hopkins, one of the best wideouts of his era. Calvin Ridley and Treylon Burks, both young and with room to improve, are the other two. On top of that, they added a multi-thousand-yard receiver by the name of Tyler Boyd in the off-season.
Defense aside (because that’s a whole other, long conversation), if Bill Callahan can get the O-line to show up to work and Will Levis to stop trying to act like Superman, the Titans can get some wins under their belt this season. That being said, I can’t remember a seat being hotter than Will Levis’ at the moment, and normally that doesn’t bode well for performance.
THE WORST TEAM IN THE NFL – CAROLINA PANTHERS (1-2)
I am not falling for last week’s win over the Raiders. This team is god-awful, and the management is even worse. I like Andy Dalton, and I’m glad that start put him in front of Romo for the 25th most TD passes of all time, but he won’t be able to catch lightning in a bottle twice this season. Especially with veteran Adam Thielen being placed on IR this week.
As for what to do with Bryce Young, your guess is as good as mine. I wouldn’t trust the front office to get a good deal from trading him after the trade with Chicago that landed him in Carolina. I also wouldn’t trust him to develop behind Dalton and staying in the same system that destroyed his confidence.
Anywhere Carolina looks, there’s a long, slippery slope of a climb in front of them. Don’t jump on the Ginger Dalton hype train. I don’t see this team getting more than 1-2 wins for the rest of the season.
Let me know your bottom five in the comments below, and Tweet us @a2zsportstakes with your hottest NFL takes!