The shared DNA of the NFL’s three remaining winless teams is simple: They all expected much, much more. All three from the AFC, it’s reasonable to believe that all had at least a chance to think they could win their respective divisions. Now their seasons are in tatters.
An 0-3 start doesn’t mean everything is over, but it does mean needing to look at the remaining schedule, find which games can be wins, and hope everything goes right from here on out in order to find a path to the playoffs. Today we look at which teams should actually be panicking about their 0-3 start, and who can still hold out some hope for the season.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals being ranked third on this list does not mean it is not time to worry in Ohio. There are clearly reasons to be concerned right now if you are a Bengals fan. You just saw a rookie quarterback in Jayden Daniels carve up your defense on Monday Night Football, and when your offense goes out and scores 32 points, including scoring on every possession save one — a possession that ended with a missed field goal — you have some things to sort out.
Still, a saving grace for the Bengals can be found. Despite their 0-3 start they have every single Divisional game remaining on their schedule, so they can make up ground in the AFC North in a hurry. Ja’Marr Chase is getting up to speed after holding-in for training camp, Tee Higgins made his 2024 debut Monday night after working back from a hamstring injury, and they are finding production in the running game between Zack Moss and Chase Brown.
The other saving grace for Cincinnati, at least when it comes to a piece like this one?
The other two teams are in serious trouble.
2. Tennessee Titans
The biggest thing with the Titans is that they don’t do anything well. There’s nothing you can hang your hat on and say “this is why you need to fear the Titans.” They’re 28th in the NFL in points scored, 24th in points allowed. They don’t pass well, they don’t run well — and all they can do is hope they run into someone worse on the schedule.
In terms of panicking for 2024 the Titans are right up there. This is more or less a dead season for them, which was partially expected in a rebuilding season with Brian Callahan. The big issue is that Will Levis is playing bad football, and there hasn’t been the kind of growth Titans fans wanted to see in year two.
If there’s any silver lining here it’s that the Titans have a soft schedule coming up. A lot of the games coming up are against 1-2 or other 0-3 teams, providing opportunities to improve. The big issue is that as it stands the Titans feel like an organization fundamentally lacking talent, and that can’t be fixed in the middle of a season.
Still, it could be worse. They could be …
1. Jacksonville Jaguars
As a Jaguars fan, I had to sit through Urban Meyer forgetting who players were and receivers running into each other. Titans players laughed and pointed when LaViska Shenault and Laquon Treadwell (WR1 Laquon Treadwell, by the way) ran into each other in a game against the Titans that got Meyer fired.
This was, without a doubt, the worst loss the Jaguars have had since the Gus Bradley era. Down 30 points at halftime, no semblance of an offense and a defense that finally broke after holding this team together via silly string and masking tape. This team has no identity on offense, the first major knock against head coach Doug Pederson and company. The next one is that everyone on offense has gotten worse. The franchise QB (who got paid a lot of money in the offseason) looks like he hates everyone and everything, the offensive line that’s been bad for years hasn’t grown or gotten better. Above all that, there’s no depth, so when CB Tyson Campbell and S Darnell Savage miss a game, that’s what the defense looks like.
This team has no hope, no silver lining and is no fun to watch. They’re just depressing, waiting for the season to be over so they can fire this head coach and make another half measure.
I need a drink, and I don’t even drink.
