5 Teams Whose Teams Should Panic After Week 8
Who in the NFL should be more panicked than these 5 teams and their fans?
New England Patriots
Cam Newton got a 1-year contract and this was not what they expected. Bill Belichick was all over the news for saying the team sold out to finance their future in favor of Super Bowl wins. Fans have been waiting for the Pats to fall and would’ve preferred to see it happen with Brady. Skipping town might have been the wisest decision he’s made as New England doesn’t seem to have a long term plan and might be in for seasons the rest of the division has suffered through for decades. Pats need an overhaul but it might take Belichick retiring to get one.
Buffalo Bills
Buffalo again is in firm control of the division and their fate. However, this game against a bad New England team almost went into overtime. If not for a fumble by Cam Newton the outcome might have been different. Keep winning and no one will notice, but this is the second week in a row they’ve struggled against a divisional opponent and they only beat the Dolphins by 3. They still have to face each division rival one more time and could easily lose to all three if they can’t find a way to get back on track.
More NFL: Teams Who Should Be In Panic Mode After Week 7
Los Angeles Chargers
You can have as many stats as you want, but wins are the only thing that matters in the NFL. Justin Herbert again went out and had a solid performance, only to see it thrown away by another comeback. Blown leads can come down to a tired defense, but more likely they’re by bad coaching decisions. The Chargers need to transition to a team that can keep their foot on the gas if they want to turn Herbert into a winner.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
A win is a win, but not when people were talking about your team being the best in the NFL and you almost lose, to the Giants. This was classic comeback Brady who probably couldn’t wait to beat the Giants. A team that is an early pick as Super Bowl favorites, should not struggle with a team that has won only 1 game. Sure, Antonio Brown will give them a boost on offense, but how many pieces are we going to throw against a wall to see what sticks? Eventually, they’re going to need consistent big-play capabilities if they want to keep up with the powerhouses. Turnovers cost the Giants more than talent elevated the Bucs
Green Bay Packers
Maybe the Minnesota Vikings are just coming on slow, or maybe Green Bay has some identity issues. After coming out of the gate hot and jumping all over the NFL the Packers are cooling off way too quickly. They started out winning their first 4 but now have lost two of their last three. One win has come against teams with winning records this season and they still have to face tough teams down the stretch in search of playoff spots. They could be a lock for the division, but still, have to face the rival Bears twice by the season’s end. Green Bay could be spiraling quickly.
Honorable Mention: Miami Dolphins
The Miami Dolphins came out with an impressive win. Yes, they started a rookie quarterback who everyone wanted to see come back strong. No, that did not happen. At face value, fans should be panicked at the play of Tua Tagovailoa, but this was his first game. Smart coaching would not put their star player on display to get on tape with an 18 point lead. Miami’s offense stalled, but the coaching staff has played conservatively with a lead even with Fitzpatrick under center. Let’s see a close game before we go full panic.
Check back next week when we break down even more teams in panic mode.
Rick ODonnell aka Caveman Rick has many years covering the Miami Dolphins, Sports, and all sorts of movies and television.
