5 Teams Whose Fans Should Panic After Week 9
Week 9 of the NFL schedule came to a close with some great matchups, but no team’s fan base should be in panic mode more than:
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Every year the entire NFL is left wondering “just how much does Tom Brady have left?” and every year he goes out and competes as one of the best in the game. Sunday proved that one of the game’s other greats wasn’t ready to ride off either. Drew Brees has taken a back seat to Brady for years as the Saints were never winning like the Pats in the postseason. Sunday the Bucs didn’t just lose a conference game, they got stomped, at home, and against a division rival. Drew Brees and the Saints proved they’re not ready to roll over and hand the Bucs a title. The postseason goes through them.
Chicago Bears
Nick Foles was supposed to be the guy that helped propel the Bears to the next level. Looking at the third loss in a row has fans scratching heads. After all, he is a Super Bowl MVP and winner, right? Chicago seems to be a team that just can’t get it done no matter how close it gets. They’re knocking on the door but no one seems to answer. Their biggest problem is having no explosive playmakers. Sure, they’ve got guys who are making plays, but nothing game-changing.
MORE NFL: 5 Team’s Whose Fans Should Panic After Week 8
Kansas City Chiefs
If control of the NFL went to any team, this year it would be the Chiefs. For some reason, on ESPN they’re already asking if he’s the greatest quarterback ever. However, Kansas City is slipping up. By no means are the 3-6 Panthers something to fear but KC barely pulled out a win against them. They’re the favorite to repeat and while teams have off games, these Chiefs seem like teams are going out and finding new ways to lose to a good team. Maybe that carries into the postseason, but if injuries start hitting when the cold comes in, it could be a whole different ball game.
Seattle Seahawks
Seattle got handed a very lopsided loss against the Buffalo Bills. The game was a complete blowout until garbage time when the Seahawks were able to make it close. The Bills were struggling as of late and this was a perfect statement game for Buffalo. Not only was the statement made, but if not for the Saints rolling over the Bucs, this game would’ve got more attention. Seattle looked bad. Every team is entitled to a bad week but this one was ugly the whole way through.
Pittsburgh Steelers
They might still be the NFL’s only undefeated team, but the Pittsburgh Steelers keep playing down to the level of their opponents. Dallas was in this game right to the end and they’re only 2-7 on the season. One of these games is going to break their opponent’s way and Pitt will be handed their first loss. While a one-win season is nothing to frown about, by now there’s a lot of footage of how to win against them. Mental mistakes are keeping their opponents from wins and come playoff time their story might be different. Every year a team fires on all cylinders during the season and falls flat in the postseason. Pittsburgh is very much in danger of being that team.
Come back after week 10 to see who should be in panic mode after next week’s games.
Rick ODonnell aka Caveman Rick has many years covering the Miami Dolphins, Sports, and all sorts of movies and television.
