NFL Bottom Of The Barrel – Week Ten

Well it was a great week of action in the NFL, with some blistering individual performances (Doug Martin, anyone?). But where there is good, there is always bad, and some teams are just not getting any better. It has been a long season for several clubs, and I am sure certain teams are wishing it would come to an end sooner rather than later.

With that being said, let’s remind ourselves of the bottom three teams from last week:

30. Carolina Panthers

31. Jacksonville Jaguars

32. Kansas City Chiefs

And as we move towards the week ten matchups, here’s this week’s NFL bottom of the barrel:

30. Cleveland Browns

The Browns slip back into the bottom three, taking the place of the Carolina Panthers, who turned in a win against Washington this past weekend. With only two wins this year, there hasn’t been much to smile about in Cleveland.

Perhaps the biggest ray of hope has been rookie running back Trent Richardson, who has had some pretty decent games. He has rushed for 575 yards and five touchdowns, battling with some nagging injuries along the way.

Rookie Browns’ quarterback Brandon Weeden has played well at times, and still looks like the right choice over Colt McCoy. He hasn’t had the best of receivers to throw to, with only Josh Gordon standing out as a legitimate target.

The Browns now have their bye week to regroup and then return to action with a trip to Dallas. While that game is a winnable one, if they play the way they have been, it begins to look less likely.

32. Jacksonville Jaguars

Holding strong at the number 32 spot this week are that Jags. Their only win this season came back in week three against the Indianapolis Colts, and although they have lost two games in overtime, the fact is that they are not playing very good football.

Running back Maurice Jones-Drew is still out with a foot injury, and replacement Rashad Jennings managed just 45 yards in a loss to the Lions at the weekend.

Their defense has been pretty bad all year, and on average they give up 27.4 points a game. They are also sixth worst in the league, allowing 392 yards per game to opposing teams. Their offense just hasn’t been able keep up with that type of scoring.

Jacksonville hosts AFC South rivals Indianapolis in week ten, who, at 5-3, and with rookie quarterback Andrew Luck playing as well as he is, will be formidable opponents who should start the game as favorites.

Jacksonville will have to improve greatly if they want to make it out of this bottom three.

32. Kansas City Chiefs

Once again, the Chiefs have the dishonour of being in last place this week. Coming off a 31-13 loss to the Sand Diego Chargers, Kansas City slip to 1-7 and last place in the AFC West. Barring any miracles, I think it’s safe to say they are done for the year.

They allow opponents to score 30 points a game, while scoring just over 16 points themselves. That right there is a recipe for disaster.

Running back Jamaal Charles has had some good performances, but has looked pretty inept the last two weeks. Against the Chargers he rushed the ball just 12 times for a disappointing 39 yards. Dwayne Bowe is the only good receiver for the Chiefs, and at times he has disappeared in games, making it difficult for the offense to move the chains.

All in all, woeful season so far for the Chiefs, who many, myself included, expected much better from. Next week they play on Monday night against a strong Pittsburgh Steelers team. I expect nothing less than a 1-8 record once that game is said and done.

Don’t forget to check out Lester’s post to find out who are the NFL’s cream of the crop for week ten.