5 NFL Teams Whose Fans Should Panic After Week 15
In week 15, with playoff chances on the line, plenty of NFL teams came up stale.
Pittsburgh Steelers
Pittsburgh fans have to be in full-blown panic mode right now. Did they lose to the 2-10-1 Cincinnati Bengals? Really? It cannot be stressed enough how hard beating a division opponent twice a year can be. Think of how many times teams break at halftime, make adjustments, and come out of the locker room on fire. Now add weeks of game footage between and prep time and the recipe for disaster is always there. But that’s not the concerning part.
The Steelers seem to be in free-fall mode right now on a level that’s usually reserved for the Buffalo Bills. After winning 11 straight games against an easier schedule, they’ve now lost three in a row. Two of those three losses were against teams without a winning record. Crunch time is here and they’ve got a tough Colts team and the surging Browns. Going into the playoffs losing 5 straight will evaporate what’s left of their mojo.
Los Angeles Rams
The Rams aren’t out of the NFL playoff picture just yet, but this was their ugliest loss of the season. While they did mount a decent comeback, falling behind 20-3 to a winless Jets should throw up red flags left and right. Gone are the days that the Rams dominated football games on their way to the Super Bowl as teams seemed to have figured out Jared Goff, especially in the AFC East. It’s up to Sean McVay to evolve both his coaching style and Goff’s playing style to get this team back to their winning ways. Clearly, teams have enough tape on what it takes to beat the Rams.
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Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The Buccaneers have been up and down this NFL season. Head Coach Bruce Arians has put a lot of pressure on Tom Brady to win and this Sunday might have pushed him to that high bar with his comeback victory. Yet, that’s exactly the reason to panic. How can Tampa Bay be considered a playoff contender if they can’t excel against a division rival with only 4 wins on the season?
Tom Brady has always struggled against those types of opponents allowing the Dolphins, Jets, and Bills late-season victories in their struggling seasons. Going into the playoffs where they’ll likely meet the division rival Saints should be a cause for concern for Bucs fans.
Washington Football Team
Washington needed a win more than anything, while the Giants lost the Cowboys did not. Dallas is only one game back on the division but Washington is starting to slip again. What is more concerning is the quarterback situation. Dwayne Haskins was again given the chance to succeed and came up short, but that might not be his fault.
Washington threw the football 55 times and only managed 295 yards. Quick math says that’s just over 5 yards per completion. They were only down 10 at the half so there was no need to panic and completely abandon the run. Fans need to question coaching decisions going forward.
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New Orleans Saints
Maybe Drew Brees didn’t return 100% from his injury that kept him out the last few games. However, with Brees returning it wasn’t enough to take out the Kansas City Chiefs. Losing to one of the NFL’s strongest competitors isn’t exactly the reason to panic, but coming up short against a playoff team is. While the Saints are a strong playoff presence, they could’ve used the momentum of beating a tough team to go into the hardest part of the season.
Two more weeks to go. Who’s left to avoid panic mode on this year’s 2020 NFL season?
Rick ODonnell aka Caveman Rick has many years covering the Miami Dolphins, Sports, and all sorts of movies and television.
