Week 1 of the 2016 regular season is officially in the books. The first weekend of NFL action gave us a lot be excited for as we had games decided in the waning moments of the fourth quarter and saw young teams come of age right before our eyes.
However, for all the great play that we saw in the first week, there was some bad play as well. If you are a fan of a team that is currently 0-1, you do not want your team to lose this week. We hear the stat every season, that if you are a team with an 0-2 record, your chances of making the playoffs are slim.
With that being said, here are four teams that should already be panicking heading into Week 2:
1. San Diego Chargers: The Chargers lead off this list as they endured a horrible 33-27 overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs this past Sunday. To begin the game, the Chargers were in control and at one point, were up 24-3. Second-year running back Melvin Gordon was a huge factor in the game as he had two rushing touchdowns, showing that this season may be his breakout year.
But despite Gordon playing well, the Chargers’ offense suffered a huge loss, losing their number one wide receiver Keenan Allen to a torn ACL. With Allen going down, it took the air out of San Diego and Kansas City made an amazing comeback thanks to their quarterback Alex Smith.
The Chargers now head into Week 2 with a home game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Last season, San Diego defeated Jacksonville 31-25 as they jumped out to a quick 21-9 lead. The Chargers hope they can get out to a fast start this time around as they try to avoid an 0-2 start.
2. Buffalo Bills: The Bills can easily fall to 0-2, if they do not handle their business tonight against the New York Jets. Last Sunday, the Bills lost a very winnable game, 13-7 to the Baltimore Ravens. In that game, it wasn’t so much the Bills’ defense, but the offense who could not get anything going.
The Ravens’ defense shut down Bills running back LeSean McCoy, holding him to 58 rushing yards on 16 carries and a touchdown and made quarterback Tyrod Taylor one-dimensional. Taylor only had 122 yards of total offense, despite completing 68 percent of his passes.
Tonight’s game is a must win for both teams because it is also a division game. Last season, the Bills swept the Jets, including knocking them out the playoffs in Week 17.
3. Indianapolis Colts: Staying in the AFC, the Colts lost in a shootout to the Detroit Lions 39-35 last Sunday, thanks to a lack of defense. The Colts were down early in the game as Detroit was leading 21-10 in the second quarter. But Indianapolis made a valiant second-half comeback, scoring 25 points led by quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck was 16 of 27 in the final two quarters, including throwing back to back touchdown passes to tight end Jack Doyle.
But with the game tied up at 35-35 with 37 seconds to go, the Colts’ defense allowed the Lions’ offense to drive down the field, setting up a game winning 43-yard field goal from kicker Matt Prater.
If you score 35 points in a game, more often than not, you should win but that’s not the case for the Colts. This Sunday, Indianapolis will be on the road taking on the Denver Broncos.
4. New Orleans Saints: The Saints wrap up this list because just like the Colts, their defense can’t stop a nosebleed. New Orleans lost their regular season opener to the Oakland Raiders 35-34, despite quarterback Drew Brees throwing for 423 yards and four touchdowns.
While Brees and the offense were on fire, the defense had their issues as they allowed the Raiders to score 22 fourth points. Last season, the Saints’ defense gave up 29.8 points per game, which was dead last in the NFL.
Unlike college football, you cannot win games by giving up 30 plus points. On Sunday, the Saints will be on the road as they take on the New York Giants. New Orleans’ defense will have their hands full, trying to cover the trio of Odell Beckham Jr., Victor Cruz, and Sterling Shepard. If the defense can’t slow down one of those three wide receivers, then they will be 0-2 heading into Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons.
