Is it Time for These NFL Teams to Panic? – Part 2

Is your favorite team off to a rough start but didn’t appear on the article yesterday? Here are a couple more teams that I give insight on in part 2 of “Is it Time for These NFL Teams to Panic”.

Cincinnati Bengals: The Bengals missed the postseason in 2016 for the first time in 5 years. This team has always been seen as solid in the regular season and looked to build on it this year. With A.J. Green coming out as a borderline top 5 receiver and Andy Dalton hoping to play like a top 10 quarterback, this offense was looking to do big things at the beginning of the season. The team also added players to their front 7 to help out their elite defensive end, Carlos Dunlap. The defense was a major area of concern for this team and the coaches thought if the defense played well, the team would cruise into the postseason. So far, this is very wrong. The Bengals are off to a tough 1-3 start and their only win came to a lackluster Browns team. I think it is time to panic in Cincinnati. The funny thing is the defense has not been the major problem for this team so far, it has been the offense. The team hadn’t scored a touchdown until week 3. Andy Dalton looked like he had never thrown a football before and the running game was not helping either. Dalton’s favorite target, A.J. Green, was being doubled teamed much of the time leaving him unable to carry the team as he sometimes can. However, there is good news for this Bengals team. They lost by only 3 points to a talented Packers team and crushed the Browns 31-7 in week 4. This silenced the benching of Andy Dalton critics and may be just enough to get the Bengals back in the groove they held in previous seasons. The Bengals do need to panic mostly because they are falling quickly behind the Steelers in the division. However, I see the real potential in this team, if the defense can continue to hold its own and Dalton plays like he did the last two games. A big game home game versus the Bills in week 5 will be very telling for this Bengals organization.

Oakland Raiders: The Raiders are one of the most up and coming teams in the NFL. With the young core of Khalil Mack, Amari Cooper, and Derek Carr, this team has a massive ceiling in the 2017 NFL season. Additionally, the signing of Marshawn Lynch was huge because it gave this team a run game to compliment their already very explosive passing. Last year, the Raiders were seen as the team with the best chances of beating the Patriots and to represent the AFC. However, this all changed when Derek Carr went down with an injury and the Raiders lost first round to a mediocre Texans team. Unfortunately in week 4, Derek Carr again went down with injury, this time a possible fractured back. This triggers panic mode for the Raiders because it’s clear he is the life and sole of this football team. Carr, who is projected to miss 2-6 weeks, will be desperately missed. Marshawn Lynch has yet to show he can still handle a full workload and the team has now dropped 2 straight. If this team can pull wins without Carr, they will have a good chance for the playoffs. If they drop north of 3 or 4 games without him, in a very competitive AFC West, their playoff hopes may be diminished. E.J. Manuel looks to lead this team against a Ravens D that seems to be very inconsistent on how they treat opposing quarterbacks this season.

Written by Casey Spilka