Where there is good, there must be bad. Likewise, in the NFL, where there are seven undefeated teams, there are also eight winless squads. It’s time to power rank the winless squads.
1. Denver Broncos
If there is one good thing about being the Denver Broncos, it’s that they might have the best chance at getting to 1-3 by next week. The Broncos’ opponent in Week 4 is the lowly New York Jets, another 0-3 team that has never led this season. With Drew Lock potentially returning by Week 5 or 6, the Broncos will hope to get their first win at Metlife Stadium on Thursday.
2. Houston Texans
While it’s hard to call any 0-3 team “good”, the Texans are one of the best. They still have an offense with plenty of playmakers; QB Deshaun Watson may not be playing at his usual level, but he is still perfectly capable with four touchdowns and 792 yards through the first three games of the season.
The fact of the matter is, this team is missing Deandre Hopkins. In possibly the most notable trade of the offseason, the star WR was traded to the Arizona Cardinals for David Johnson, who has been largely ineffective for the team. Fortunately, the Texans will look to get their first victory against another winless team in the Minnesota Vikings.
3. Cincinnati Bengals
Yes, you heard that right. Those Cincinnati Bengals. However, this team is better than most people thought, most of which is due to rookie QB Joe Burrow. While the No. 1 overall draft pick may not be perfect, he has shown incredible promise and has five passing touchdowns to only one interception.
Additionally, the Bengals may be able to score their first victory this Sunday. They play the 1-2 Jaguars in Cincinnati, and while the matchup may not be between two playoff contenders, it should still be close. The Bengals were able to force a tie between the Philidelphia Eagles last week, and this week is a golden opportunity to get a win.
4. Philadelphia Eagles
Philadelphia was involved in the aforementioned tie last week, but there was a worrying trend that continued in that game against Cincinnati. QB Carson Wentz was vastly outperformed by his opponent, rookie QB Joe Burrow.
Wentz’s one touchdown and two interceptions further added to his poor season stats of six INTs to only three touchdowns. Even with rookie Jalen Hurts breathing down his neck, Eagles HC Doug Pedersen has stated that Wentz will not be benched, even though the Eagles are winless in their first three games for the first time since 1999. With a likely loss coming in Week 4 against the San Fransisco 49ers, it will be interesting to see if Wentz keeps up his poor play—and his starting job.
5. Atlanta Falcons
Wow. Another 15-plus point fourth-quarter lead, another 15-plus point fourth-quarter lead blown for the Falcons. After Bears QB Mitchell Trubisky was benched in the third quarter, backup QB (and Super Bowl Champion) Nick Foles came in, mounting a furious comeback and throwing a go-ahead 28-yard TD pass to Anthony Miller with 1:53 remaining.
But should fans really be shocked? This is the Falcons, after all; a franchise that has proven time and time again to choke. One of the biggest storylines will be seeing whether or not Dan Quinn keeps his job, whether that means for next season or just next week.
6. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings’ poor season continues. At least last week, QB Kirk Cousins actually passed for more touchdowns than interceptions, as he threw for 251 yards, 3 TDs, and 2 interceptions against Tenessee. Minnesota should win a few games in the coming weeks, and they have a good chance to do so against the 0-3 Texans on Sunday.
7. New York Giants
The Giants have not had a good start to the Joe Judge era. The team is 0-3, Daniel Jones has been middling at best, and an 0-4 start seems almost inevitable as they are 12.5 point underdogs against the Rams on Sunday. While Judge shouldn’t be fired, the team should have a high pick in next year’s draft, hopefully infusing more talent into their roster. At least they aren’t the worst team that plays in Metlife Stadium.
8. New York Jets
Week 4 might be one of this team’s best shots at winning a game, and the game in question might not even be competitive. They play the similarly-winless Broncos on Thursday, and they are still only favored to win by one point on their own home turf.
Why? Well, their QB Sam Darnold has one of the worst passer ratings in the league at 70.7, their star RB Leveon Bell is injured, and their “offensive genius” coach Adam Gase has led them to the 32nd-ranked offense in the league. In short, things aren’t looking too rosy for the Jets. Hopefully, for their fans, they will get the No. 1 overall pick in the league this upcoming draft.
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