The start of the season promises good things to teams that can get out of the gates quickly. But the NFL is not conquered in one month. The following three teams looked like playoff contenders in September but now might have a tough time even qualifying for the playoffs.
1. Cincinnati Bengals
This is the team whose fortunes have undergone the biggest and most severe change from September to October. The Bengals have to confront the fact that their defense and special teams have left points on the field. Cincinnati might have just lost to the Indianapolis Colts on a day when it didn’t do much of anything on offense, but the Bengals suffered a 37-37 tie at home to the Carolina Panthers in a game which ended on a missed field goal of under 40 yards at the end of overtime. The Bengals have one of the more talented defensive lines in the NFL, but they still allowed 37 points to an average Carolina offense. It’s hard to say that this team’s fortunes are all based on the recent toe injury to receiver A.J. Green.
2. Houston Texans
The Texans were a team that played bad opponents early in the season and took advantage of them. The Texans beat the Washington Redskins in Week 1 and then the Oakland Raiders in Week 2. The Texans’ other win this season came against the Buffalo Bills, another team that’s not likely to make the playoffs. Against legitimately good teams, Houston has fallen short. The Texans couldn’t fully solve the Dallas Cowboys, and they played a terrible first quarter against the Indianapolis Colts before making a comeback but then faltering in the fourth quarter when victory was attainable.
The story of the Texans is really a story about the strength of the team’s schedule. This is a team good enough to beat the basement-dwellers in the NFL, but it’s not nearly good enough to beat teams that are going to go to the playoffs. The Texans have the look and feel of a 7-9 team, one that’s not going to win any truly significant game over the course of the remainder of the season. That’s harsh, but is it wrong? Probably not. Ryan Fitzpatrick is a backup-level quarterback his play could continue to be a problem for Houston.
3. Carolina Panthers
The Panthers have a problem similar to the Bengals. This was a team that was supposed to struggle on offense with injuries to running backs and the departure of Steve Smith to the Baltimore Ravens. Yet, the Panthers have been really bad on defense, which is where they were so good a season ago when they won the NFC South and got a first-round bye in the playoffs, hosting the San Francisco 49ers in the divisional round before getting knocked out. The Panthers’ defense has been missing in action the past few weeks against the Cincinnati Bengals and Green Bay Packers. The lack of fight from his defense has to make Carolina head coach Ron Rivera furious, as the team finished second in total defense a year ago.
