We are officially through the first two weeks of the 2016 NFL season and we are beginning to find out which teams are good and not so good. As we head into Week 3, this is a pivotal time for some teams, who are still winless on the season. Majority of these teams played well one week and looked bad the next, while others have lost by less than a touchdown.
With that being said, here are five teams that can’t afford to lose in Week 3:
1. Buffalo Bills: The Bills begin this list as they are in trouble. Currently, they are 0-2 after going down to their division rival New York Jets 37-31. Unlike, the first week of the season, the Bills’ offense did not struggle against the Jets’ defense.
Instead, it was Buffalo’s defense who could not stop Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick from airing it out all the over the field, to a tune of 374 passing yards and a 70.5 completion percentage.
Despite, the defense getting torched, Buffalo fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman last Friday, which was a shocker to many because it seemed like he was used as a scapegoat for head coach Rex Ryan.
Nevertheless, the Bills will be trying to get their first win of the season on Sunday, when they take on the Arizona Cardinals at home. Usually, when teams from out west travel across country, it doesn’t bode well for them. However, when it comes to the Cardinals, they are road warriors. Last season, they were 7-1 on the road and 4-1 against teams not from the NFC West.
With that being said, if Buffalo did not fix their issues on defense, they could be looking at a 0-3 record.
2. New Orleans Saints: The Saints just like the Bills were on my list of four teams that should already be panicking last week. As I mentioned earlier, they were one of the teams that have lost both games by less than a touchdown. Last Sunday, they took on the New York Giants and played really good especially on defense.
New Orleans’ defense forced three turnovers in the first half, but their offense couldn’t turn it into touchdowns. The Saints only scored three points in the first half, thanks to a Will Lutz’ 39-yard field goal. However, that would not cut it as Giants quarterback Eli Manning got into a rhythm, passing for 368 yards and completing 78 percent of his passes.
But just like in Week 1 against the Raiders, the Saints fought back, tying up the game at 10-10 in the fourth quarter as quarterback Drew Brees found wide receiver Willie Snead for a 17-yard touchdown reception. However, the Giants’ offense got the ball back and Manning took advantage of the Saints’ less than average secondary.
New Orleans went on to lose 16-13 and are in desperation mode as they go home to the Mercedes-Benz Superdome to take on the Atlanta Falcons on Monday night football.
Last season, New Orleans swept the season series, defeating Atlanta by a combined 13 points in both games. The Saints need this win if they want to have a chance to compete in the wild NFC South.
3. Washington Redskins: Last season’s NFC East champions are off to a rough start and a lot of the blame is falling on the shoulders of quarterback Kirk Cousins. Cousins played poorly in the second half against the Dallas Cowboys last week, throwing a horrible interception in the fourth quarter.
Through two games, Cousins is completing 65.2 percent of his passes, but has three interceptions to one touchdown. That will not get it done. Against Dallas, he completed 60.8 percent of his passes for 364 yards and a touchdown. But threw that interception in the fourth quarter, which cost Washington the game.
A mistake like that is one of the reasons why Washington is 0-2 and 0-1 in the NFC East. Furthermore, it does not get easier for the boys from DC as they go on the road this week to play the Giants. This is a highly anticipated game because it will be the rematch between Odell Beckham Jr. and Josh Norman.
Norman hasn’t made a game changing play yet this season, but if Washington wants to avoid a 0-3 start, they will need him to bring his A game.
4. Indianapolis Colts: The Colts are not a very good football team this season and it’s showing on both sides of the ball. The defense is hurting and giving up a ridiculous 36.5 points per game, which frankly will not win you any games in the NFL.
On offense, quarterback Andrew Luck is doing everything in his power to will the team to victory but lacks a competent running game. Then to make matters worse, Indianapolis lost wide receiver Donte Moncrief for 4-6 weeks with a fractured scapula.
With all those factors, it is not looking good for Indianapolis. However, they have a favorable matchup this week against the San Diego Chargers. The Chargers are coming off a big win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, but lost running back Danny Woodhead to a torn ACL. With no Woodhead or Keenan Allen, the Colts’ defense should not have any trouble in slowly down a Chargers’ offense that is averaging 32.5 points per game.
Indianapolis should get their first win this weekend, but if they don’t, head coach Chuck Pagano and general manager Ryan Grigson will be on the hot seat.
5. Jacksonville Jaguars: The Jaguars end off this list as they were the preseason darlings to make the playoffs this season. However, they have struggled thus far, losing by four points to the Green Bay Packers in Week 1 and then getting blown out by 24 points by San Diego.
The Jaguars are a case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, especially on defense. Jacksonville’s defense is giving up 32.5 points per game and allowed six passing touchdowns, while not getting any interceptions.
If Jacksonville wants to have any chance of defeating the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday, they need get pressure on quarterback Joe Flacco because it will be tough for them to score on offense.
