We’re just about a quarter of the way into the NFL season, and while there’s still plenty of football left, we’ve already seen enough to start figuring out who’s legit and who’s just… well, not. The Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans are officially in the “dregs of the league” tier, and trust me, it’s not looking good. These two squads are sitting at a dismal 0-4, and the vibe around them is that they have the least amount of hope moving forward. Straight up, they’re really, really bad.
Don’t Fall for the Trick: The Frauds of Tier 4
Beyond the bottom feeders, there’s a whole tier of teams that are probably just “not that good,” even if their records might trick you. We’re talking about the Arizona Cardinals, Cleveland Browns, Green Bay Packers, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Chargers, New Orleans Saints, New York Giants, New York Jets, Pittsburgh Steelers, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington Commanders. Some of these teams are 0-4, some are 1-3, others are 2-2, and yeah, a few are even 3-1. But the numbers behind their games, or the strength of who they’ve played, are telling us a different story. They might sneak into the postseason, but don’t expect them to shake things up much.
Take the Cleveland Browns, for example. They’re sitting pretty at 3-1, but every single one of those wins needed a game-winning score in the final five minutes. Seriously? And get this, they’ve only out-gained their opponents *once* all season. That’s not a contender, folks, that’s a ticking time bomb. Then there are the Green Bay Packers. Their defense without Micah Parsons is totally beatable, and their offensive line looks like an absolute train wreck. Unless Parsons comes back and totally flips their defensive fortunes, that’s just not sustainable. And the Los Angeles Chargers? Man, the less said about them, the better. They’re easily the most disappointing team in the league so far. Meanwhile, the Houston Texans are 0-4, their defense isn’t living up to expectations, and while their passing game has been decent with Nico Collins healthy, they literally cannot run the ball. That’s a huge problem.
The Big Dogs and What’s Next
On the flip side, the San Francisco 49ers are definitely among the elite, and even the Los Angeles Rams, despite a slow start, are still considered among the NFL’s best. So, the league has its clear front-runners and its definite cellar-dwellers.
We’re only a quarter of the way through, and there’s still a ton of football to be played. Teams have time to either keep doing what they’re doing or totally surprise us by turning things around. The information we’ve got now gives us a good sense of who’s real and who’s not, but the beauty of the NFL is that it can change in a heartbeat. Keep those eyes peeled to see if any of these “not that good” teams can actually make some noise, or if the bottom-tier squads are truly destined for a long, painful season.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by CBS Sports.
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