The season is over halfway through for these teams
Written by: Joseph Mooney
Twitter: @Full_MOONey25
Through 8 weeks of the season, these teams have no chance to turn it around.
1. New York Jets
Through 8 weeks, the Jets have posted a 1-6 record. The team’s head coach, Adam Gase is currently coaching for his job. Sam Darnold, who was injured for a few weeks with mono, has more interceptions (8) than his does touchdowns (5) on the year. Despite all the rumors, Le’Veon Bell has been nothing but a class act for his new team. Bell, sat out the entire 2018 season while negotiating contracts signed this offseason with the Jets and has shown nothing but respect and pride for the organization and his teammates. Although Bell’s stats don’t show his true value to this team, Le’Veon has easily made a huge impact and should be the team’s MVP. Injuries on the defensive side of the ball have created many problems for the young team. Star CJ Mosley and rookie Quinnen Williams have both been sidelined this season for multiple games because of injuries. Yes, the Jets schedule does get easier as they face the Dolphins (twice), the Redskins, and the Bengals. I just don’t see the Jets overcoming the poor start to the season.
2019 Record Prediction: 6-10
2. Miami Dolphins
I truly believe the Dolphins season has been over since Week 1. The Dolphins are cleaning house and look to be tanking for a quarterback in this draft class; whether the quarterback is Alabama’s Tua Tagovailoa, LSU’s Joe Burrow, Georgia’s Jake Fromm, or Oregon’s Justin Herbert. Miami has already traded away key players this season such as Laremy Tunsil, Minkah Fitzpatrick, Kenny Stills, and Kenyan Drake in exchange for multiple draft picks. The Dolphins have already benched quarterback Josh Rosen, who the Dolphins acquired this offseason, for veteran quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick. The Dolphins currently sit at 0-6 this season and I’m not to sure if they’ll be able to get a win. If the Dolphins are going to sneak out a win this season, look towards their last home game against the Cincinnati Bengals.
2019 Record Prediction: 0-16
3. Cincinnati Bengals
The post-Marvin Lewis Era has begun in Cincy and it hasn’t been pretty. After the departure of the Bengals all-time leader in seasons coached and wins, Zach Taylor was hired to lead the team. Taylor studied under Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, where he was the assistant coach of the team for two seasons. Taylor came into the season with a hope of change in the city of Cincinnati but sadly not much has changed. Zach Taylor entered a situation where he wouldn’t succeed initially. The Bengals have a poor offensive line which is the root of all other problems, on the team. Due to the struggling offensive line, Joe Mixon and the run game has basically been neutralized all season, Andy Dalton is struggling and certainly has no time in the pocket. On the other side of the ball, the Bengals (who led the NFL in yards allowed) lead the league again in yards allowed this season. The team has personnel issues in the secondary and on the defensive line. The Bengals are currently 0-8 on the season, but they compete. Maybe the Bengals can play spoiler to playoff hopefully teams but the 2019 season is over for the Bengals sadly.
2019 Record Prediction: 2-14
4. Washington Redskins
Washington may be the most dysfunctional team in the NFL. The Redskins fired their head coach Jay Gruden, following their loss to the New England Patriots. Team sources have said the coaching staff didn’t want rookie quarterback D’Wayne Haskins. Injuries have impacted the development of the team’s high draft picks over the years; Bryce Love and Derrius Guice. The Redskins play in the intense NFC East, where they’re already 0-4 against division foes. The biggest reason the Redskins have struggled in missed second-half adjustments. Even in their victory against the Dolphins, the Redskins struggled to put them away late. The 1-7 Redskins, will most likely look to address the offensive line in this year's draft, especially if they trade Pro Bowler tackle, Trent Williams. With the need of a head coach following this season, I’d be shocked if the Redskins didn’t make a phone call to Mike McCarthy, Kevin O’Connell, or Lincoln Riley. The remaining schedule doesn’t favor the Washington Redskins either, in the upcoming weeks they’ll face only 2 teams with a current losing record, the New York Jets and their rival the New York Giants.
2019 Record Prediction: 2-14
5. Atlanta Falcons
It’s certainly fair to say that the Falcons season has been a disappointment. After the contract extension to Julio Jones and the return of offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, many fans thought the offense would flourish. After losing 6 streak games, Falcon fans can look on the positive side that they get a bye in Week 9. Maybe some time to make major adjustments on both sides of the ball. The Falcons have honestly struggled all season to determine their identity. After their dominant win against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday Night Football back in Week 2, the team truly fell apart. While media may blame head coach Dan Quinn, I believe the majority of the blame falls directly on the players. Early deficits in almost every game this season has handicapped the team entirely, forcing them to make miraculous comebacks that are just unrealistic every week in the NFL. While sadly the Dam Quinn era has most likely ended in Atlanta, his team really never showed up for him. After the losing forming MVP quarterback Matt Ryan, the offense seemed depleted and unmotivated. While on the defensive side of the ball, players are out of position and their secondary has been making receivers look like Pro Bowlers every Sunday. Their roster has a ton of talent but talent alone doesn’t win football games.
2019 Record Projection: 4-12