NFL 2016: Preseason Favorites Now Fake Contenders

All our preseason hopes have been dashed,as these early NFL favorites are obviously fake contenders. Bad starts doom even the best.

The only thing we know at the beginning of each NFL season is that no one knows anything. Don’t rely too heavily on Week 1 outcomes? That’s fine, sometimes. Take what you saw in Week 1 and run with it? Okay, occasionally. But after two full weeks these former preseason favorites are truly fake contenders. Open your eyes.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, discuss these so-called NFL pretenders in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

We may know nothing about the NFL thus far, but it’s not just us. It’s a top football writer from The Ringer. It’s CBS Sports’ panel of league experts, all of whom picked a Super Bowl champion that has already lost this season. How about people who wagered a ton of their own money to prove they are the best at picking football winners?

That third link is to results of the Westgate Las Vegas Supercontest from Week 2, where the consensus top five selections all lost! The top five picks from arguably the most skilled group of handicappers in the country went 0-5. It is uncanny how predictably unpredictable the NFL is.

Yet we go through this walk every year. Instead of harping on it any longer, let’s move forward. Of the preseason contenders who have shown *ahem* varying results, what is the real story?

Buffalo Bills 0-2: I’m ready to write them off as contenders. Too many injuries on both sides and not enough consistency on offense.

Cincinnati Bengals 1-1: One ugly win where they allowed seven sacks and a loss to their rivals where they couldn’t do anything on offense. I still have confidence that they can challenge for the postseason, though.

Jacksonville Jaguars 0-2; Oakland Raiders 1-1: Yeah, maybe those sleeper storylines were a bit premature. I actually liked Jacksonville more than Oakland preseason, but not sure either one becomes a contender from here.

Green Bay Packers 1-1; Seattle Seahawks 1-1: Both teams’ offenses have been terrible compared to what we expected, especially Seattle. I see Green Bay eventually turning that around, but Seattle will struggle to score all year long. It may make the postseason on the back of its defense, but that is all. Neither the offensive line nor the skill players (outside of Russell Wilson) are good enough.

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This isn’t even counting the contenders that appeared to turn things around in Week 2, like Carolina and Arizona. I’m giving them the benefit of the doubt, but we already know that is probably a mistake.

Dan Salem:

I felt like I knew a few things before the season began. But I have to admit that even I feel surprised by the season so far. Although I shouldn’t be, I am. We knew the Patriots would still be excellent, no matter the quarterback situation, but I did not think they would look quite this good. We knew Cleveland would be pretty crappy and so far they’ve looked the part. Otherwise you nailed it, because the teams we have here are nothing close to who we thought they might be.

You rightfully passed over the likes of Carolina and Arizona, but you still missed a few teams. My list is considerably longer while including some you already mentioned.

Bills: This team managed to keep the game close against the Jets, while being completely outplayed on both sides of the football. They are not very good and Rex Ryan is likely going to lose his job. I can’t say exactly what the issue is, because watching them is like watching someone refuse to be good, despite appearing to be good. Buffalo is not recovering from this early season hole. I too am writing them off as contenders.

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Bengals: This is still a really good football team and a playoff contender. You seemed to dismiss them because of their struggles against New York in Week 1, yet the Jets are also very good on both sides of the football. Pittsburgh is excellent and the Bengals played them in the pouring rain. This team is dangerous.

Jaguars and Raiders: I really liked Jacksonville entering the season. That has now changed. I was uncertain of Oakland’s ability to rise up and they have proven me right. Yet I still like both of these teams to find their way to average. Neither appears ready to win their division, but 8-8 or 9-7 is not out of the question. That won’t be good enough for the playoffs, however.

Packers and Seahawks: The Packers are okay, while the Seahawks are not. Green Bay lost to a division rival on the road. While I did not think Minnesota would be this good, I can admit when I’m wrong. They are still a very good football team and so are the Packers. Mark them as contenders.

As for Seattle, a loss to the Rams who got shut out by the 49ers, who got blown out by the Panthers is not good. Everyone picked San Francisco as a bad team, yet they decimated Los Angeles. Seattle barely made a peep against those very same Rams after looking bad against Miami at home to open the season. It’s another 9-7 season for this team, minus a playoff berth.

Miami Dolphins 0-2: This team lost close to Seattle, but the Seahawks are not great. Miami then got blown off the field by New England. I wasn’t extremely high on the Dolphins to start the year, but I was higher on them than the Bills. Not anymore. I’m writing them off as contenders.

Indianapolis Colts 0-2: You marked this team as firmly overrated and as being set up for a bad to start the year, but many pundits did not. You were right about the Colts who looked at best mediocre thus far. I don’t see them reaching the playoffs.

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Washington Redskins 0-2: I know the Giants won two very close football games and Dallas barely beat this team, but Washington feels a step behind its division rivals and its division winning team of a season ago. They are eliminated from the contender discussion.