NFL: 5 Teams In Panic Mode After Week 1 (2021)
The NFL season is back and so is panic mode. Despite it being only the first week of the season, there’s plenty of reasons for teams to be in panic mode already.
Week 1’s Panic Mode Candidates:
Dallas Cowboys
There’s no shame in losing to the reigning Super Bowl champs, especially after they returned all 22 starters. However, the common theme in Dallas is hanging with the tougher teams in the NFL and never quite squeaking out a win. You have to beat playoff-caliber teams in the regular season as well as in the postseason. This has been a staple of the Cowboys’ struggles for the entire 2000s. Dallas might win the division, but until they can win those close games against good teams, you can’t consider them contenders.
Jacksonville Jaguars
With a rookie quarterback at the helm and a head coach with no NFL experience, Jacksonville deserves some slack. Where the panic mode kicks in is in Trevor Lawrence himself. Being down big you have to take chances, chances that could end up in turnovers. The only problem is too many of those chances were in fact turnovers. Protect the football and you’re more likely to stay reasonably competitive. Jacksonville as well as Lawrence need to reevaluate and stick to smart football.
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Buffalo Bills
Buffalo didn’t look like the same team they were last year. Despite it being a good Pittsburgh team, you have to panic a little as Pittsburgh is always a tough team, they’re more than likely on the road to the Super Bowl. Buffalo needs to go from being competitive to a real threat. They need to get to that next level if they ever want to compete with the rest of the conference powerhouses.
Green Bay Packers
As predicted, the offseason proved to be too much of a distraction after the drama with Aaron Rodgers. Even though the organization sorted it out and got all parties back on the field, how much has it damaged the heart of the team. If your skill players know Rodgers is gone and may be mentally on the way out themselves, how much effort will they give for a team that has no allegiance to them? This whole offseason damaged this team too much to feel like they’re on the right track.
Miami Dolphins
It’s hard to put a team that won on the road against a tough division opponent in panic mode, but the Dolphins are a soft push on the panic button. While they looked good and came up big, their struggles will surely be the highlight of opponents in team meetings. There’s plenty to fix on both sides of the football and neither side came up with game-changing plays. If you exclude the late forced fumble by Xavien Howard, there was sloppy football by both teams. While Miami remains more disciplined than the majority of the NFL when it comes to penalties, cleaning up the mental mistakes is a must.
Week 1 was filled with close games and game-changers. Who will be in panic mode in week 2? Come back to The Daily Culture as we break down the struggles all season long.
Rick ODonnell aka Caveman Rick has many years covering the Miami Dolphins, Sports, and all sorts of movies and television.
