Things are falling apart early on after 5 teams are off to dangerously slow starts. Nobody in their right mind wants to start off as far behind the 8-ball as those teams are.
Nobody!
Their confidence is fading and their dreams of a postseason appearance are dwindling away like a dying campfire.
But, one has to remember, unless there is a team blowing teams away and running away with the division, teams can always get into striking distance. Being a couple games in the hole, isn’t the end of the world, it just means the coaching staff has to do something to adjust their team.
Quickly.
Whether it’s on the lines, talking guys up, or play calling.
Let’s take a look at the worst of the worst in 2021, thus far.
* Jacksonville Jaguars
If Jacksonville can’t fix the core of this team – their season is essentially over. If they can’t get something adjusted by week 5, the Jags could end up with a top 5 for the 2022 draft….again.
Which in some ways, could be ok for them and their future.
The Jaguars look like they could be on the brink of a complete meltdown, as their highly anticipated rookie play has been terrible. Trevor Lawrence has not been able to throw the ball well at 57%, and just 5 TDs to 7 INTS – but that still cannot be an excuse for their huge problem in their defense. James Robinson has been strong again, after a surprise season last year, they need to lean on him even more, he has shown to have the ability to break off and grind out yards. Jacksonville’s organization hasn’t been able to make the best decisions on the field, as of what we have witnessed so far. They are already pretty deep behind in the AFC South, and they play in a division with Derrick Henry and the Titans. Luckily for them, there aren’t a lot of great looking teams right now in the division.
* New York Jets
The New York Jets this year, almost feel like it is destiny based on this team’s mythically bad offensive problems, they are currently sitting dead last in the NFL for ppg – only scoring a mind boggling 6.7ppg. They have scored 14 or less in every game this year so far – they are last in the NFL in points scored and there’s not a lot to like about their passing game or running game. New York has played better defensively, giving up 23.3 /game – but their 22yr old rookie QB is really struggling in the passing game. But, as decent as the D for New York has been, on the whole, it isn’t quite dominant enough to carry the team as a contender, especially when the offense is struggling to get into double digits in points scored. They have looked as dismal as anyone else on this list, and could easily be looking at a 1-16 record by season’s end if the Jets don’t pick it up. I am not even close to being confident they can get it turned around in time.
* Indianapolis Colts
What are the Indianapolis Colts good at? What defines them as a team at this point of the year so far? They are having issues with everything and Carson Wentz has just been continuing his fragility problems for them. The Indianapolis running game remains a work in progress, with only 1 rushing TD this season so far – and the WRs in the passing game as their weapons are no better than bottom 20 in the league. I have no legitimate reason to believe this team is going to be any better than they were a year ago. The defense has looked much different than expected, having given up 25+ in every game and giving up a 30th ranked, 9 passing TDs. The Colts can take some sort of solace in the fact that they lost a couple close games, losing 24-27 to the Rams and dropping to the Titans by 9, and they kept that game close through the 3rd quarter. but, in reality, they are in trouble.
I feel Indianapolis is a better team than they’re playing as, I just don’t see their drought lasting. A bit of a slump is not good for overcoming anyone else in their division, especially when they play with the Titans, and they are a pretty good team. But the Colts should get it together and probably find a way to bumble to 7-8 W’s.
Jacksonville, I think will stumble and bumble back into mediocrity, what they are in need of is that first win. The Jaguars should set that as their top priority, they are going through what many good teams have to go through early on – grinding through a rebuilding period. I can’t say they are in dangerous trouble – they basically are what I expected of them. Other than that – their team is pretty solid, their core is something they can work with, and they can salvage a couple W’s against some other middling teams.
New York is struggling to make plays down the field, and they have barely even tried to pretend they are moving the ball downfield. Nobody fears their deep game, their WRs aren’t scaring anyone, and their running game is poor at best.
New York is going to need some major upsets to avoid a disastrous start. The Jets upcoming schedule is tough, they play Tennessee and the Pats, then they get the Bengals on 10.31.2021.
Does anyone feel confident that the Jets can win any of those games?
The offense has been more than sputtering, with 2 games scoring under 7 pts and a passing game getting just 4.3 YDs/passing attempt – which are both horrible. And let’s be honest, they haven’t had a good game in quite a while.
None of these teams are happy with where they are at so far into the 2021 season, but I feel on the whole, what New York has done so far, is pretty much the ending to their season already. They aren’t coming back.
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