As we approach the halfway point of the season, it’s becoming easier to separate the good teams from the bad. It’s been an interesting year in terms of team’s performances however we haven’t really seen an awful team – yet. Even the clubs that make it into the bottom three have shown signs that they have the ability to claw their way out.
But, without further ado, let’s take a look at the teams that have found their way into this week’s bottom of the barrel. Before we do that, let’s remind ourselves who Lester had there last week:
30. Tennessee Titans
31. Kansas City Chiefs
32. Jacksonville Jaguars
And here’s this weeks bottom three NFL teams heading into week eight:
30. Carolina Panthers
You would have thought the Panthers could have managed more than one win so far, right? Especially with Cam Newton at quarterback. Perhaps it’s true that Newton is going through something of a sophomore slump. He certainly hasn’t replicated the type of form that saw him lighting up the league last year.
Carolina are right near the bottom of the league in terms of points per game, racking up just 17.7 each time. That’s not going to be enough to get it done. Funny enough their only win of the year came against the New Orleans Saints, who have been playing poorly themselves, but no one would have predicted the Panthers winning that one at the beginning of the year.
Moving forward, they have a couple of games I could see them winning. That is if they manage to play better football. If not, it could be a long year for Cam Newton and the Panthers.
31. Kansas City Chiefs
Stuck in the same place they were last week, the Chiefs are the bottom team in the AFC West. They are coming off their bye week and face a trip to Tampa Bay to take on a Bucs team who just lost a shoot out to the New Orleans Saints. It’s a game they are capable of winning, but at the moment that looks dependant on whether running back Jamaal Charles has a big day or not.
The Chiefs are just below the Panthers, averaging just 17.3 points a game, while at the same time, giving up just over 30 points to opposing teams. That is not a recipe for success.
Quarterback Matt Cassell is recovering from a concussion, but has been given the all clear to return to no contact practices. He wasn’t a fan favorite before the injury and we’ll have to see how much better he can do than his replacement, Brady Quinn.
The rest of the Chiefs schedule should not fill them with too much dread, but to get more wins, both their defense and offence will have to improve. Only time will tell if they can pull it off.
32. Jacksonville Jaguars
It seems like the Jags have been in this bottom three every week (perhaps they have), but they certainly deserve their place here.
Admittedly, they came close to defeating the Raiders this past week, and it was probably a game they should have won. At one point they were ahead by a score of 20-6. This result was clearly not helped by losing star running back Maurice Jones-Drew and quarterback Blaine Gabbert.
The Jaguars scored the fewest points in the league with just 14.7 each game and are also in last place with a paltry 144.8 passing yards per game. That is frankly laughable.
Here’s a quick stat for you: The Jaguars have not been able to score on their first drive for 17 straight games. That my friends, is what either makes you a good NFL team or a downright poor one.
It doesn’t get much better for the Jags as they travel to Green Bay to take on a Packers team that have scored 72 points in the last two games. In contrast, the Jags have scored just 88 points all year.
If things don’t improve, the Jaguars could be sitting at the bottom of the pile for a lot longer.