NFL Week 4: Which 1-2 Teams Rebound into Playoffs?

Multiple teams are 1-2 entering NFL Week 4, disappointing fans and pundits alike. But which teams will rebound into the playoffs? We know its happening.

Starting a season 1-2 seems like a bad idea. I don’t have the numbers in front of me, but the chances of making the postseason after losing two of your first three games in a season are probably somewhere between low and no. Interestingly, we have a number of preseason contenders who currently own a 1-2 record. While each individually seems to be in trouble, it also seems unlikely that all of them are toast. NFL Week 4 is make or break.

Two brothers from New York, Dan Salem and Todd Salem, discuss NFL Week 4 in today’s NFL Sports Debate.

Todd Salem:

All of our 1-2 teams are in trouble, but not all are toast. With that in mind, who is the least toasted? In other words, who has the best chance to make the NFL playoffs this season?

Here is our list of thought-to-be quality teams currently sitting at 1-2:

Arizona Cardinals
Carolina Panthers
Cincinnati Bengals
New York Jets
Buffalo Bills
Miami Dolphins

I could be talked into adding the Washington Redskins and Indianapolis Colts to this list as well, not because I think either team is good, but because they both have legitimate shots at winning poor divisions. I also don’t know how to differentiate the AFC East, since we both thought it would be a good division prior to the year. Maybe it is simply not, outside of the peerless Patriots.

None of these teams are dead yet. I would like Arizona the best out of the group because of how its division is shaping up. But the Cardinals have arguably been the least impressive team of any of these. They got stomped by the Buffalo Bills after losing Week 1 at home to Handsome Jimmy. Maybe Jimmy Garoppolo is very good at quarterback, in which case that isn’t necessarily a bad loss. That doesn’t make it a good loss.

The team I can’t quit is Cincinnati. This team should be good. Yet now the Bengals’ only win is a one-point victory over the New York Jets, where Andy Dalton was under siege all game long. At least Arizona has a comfortable win to fall back on. The same goes for Carolina.

I have to put the Panthers No. 1 on this list as most likely to make the postseason. The NFC South still belongs to them. I’m still putting Cincinnati No. 2 on my list despite my grievances. This is partially due to their talent, as well as pending matchups against the NFC East. I also think the Baltimore Ravens are pretty phony, so I’m not worried about a two-game deficit in the AFC North.

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Of the group, the Jets may be the deadest just because of their schedule. These first three games were arguably their chance to grab some wins. Up next is a slate of Seattle, at Pittsburgh and at Arizona back-to-back-to-back, followed by the currently undefeated Ravens. What also bodes poorly is the fact that Ryan Fitzpatrick has turned back into Ryan Picks-patrick.

Dan Salem:

I resent the implications of that nickname, despite Fitzpatrick earning it on Sunday with one of the worst quarterback performances I’ve ever chosen to willingly suffer through. He’s not injured by all accounts, but his accuracy was so bad I wouldn’t be surprised to read of any ailment having befallen the Jets’ quarterback. That being said, I’m torn up about who’s toast and who’s not.

I actually put the Arizona Cardinals as No. 1 on this list, most likely to make the playoffs. Their division is atrocious. Seattle is not very good, despite destroying the 49ers who destroyed the Rams who destroyed the Seahawks. If you’re confused, then its working. None of Arizona’s divisional competition is upper echelon this season. Despite a pitiful loss in Buffalo, a pride game for the Bills, the Cardinals have looked pretty good. Rex Ryan rarely loses pride games, but Arizona gave away their game against the Patriots by missing a field goal. The Cardinals put up lots more wins this season.

Next I have Cincinnati as No. 2 on my list. I realize how awful the Jets looked in Kansas City, but the Bengals’ victory over them still proved this is a good football team. I don’t think Baltimore is as good as their record and I don’t think Cincinnati is as bad as theirs. With Pittsburgh getting demolished by the Eagles, who also feels phony, I think the AFC North is completely up for grabs.

The New York Jets are No. 3 on my list, tied with the Carolina Panthers. Both teams have looked really good and really bad. Carolina and New York both play in evenly matched divisions. I think the Panthers are better than their division rivals and I think the Jets are too. In the preseason I would have agreed that New York’s next three games would be hard, but not so fast. Seattle could barely score against Miami and Los Angeles. The Steelers got blown away by the Eagles and Arizona was decimated by the same Bills team that the Jets destroyed. None of those games are out of reach.

Fantasy Football: Five Biggest Takeaways from Week 3

We saw how quickly momentum can turn for a team this season. Everyone but the five undefeated teams have flip-flopped, playing really well and really bad. Yet I only trust the Super Bowl Champions and Bill Belichick. Nothing else feels real.

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