Most disappointing teams of the NFL season so far

After Week 4, I wrote an article about some teams that have disappointed fans throughout the first month of the 2013 NFL season.

There is only one week left of the regular season, and the standings are almost set in stone.

If your team is playing for the divisional lead, then they shouldn’t be considered a disappointment.

There were a few teams listed in my earlier piece that, while they didn’t completely salvage their season, turned it around enough for fans to be optimistic for a brighter future going into the offseason.

However, some will remain on this list, but at least they can extend a warm welcome to the newcomers who fell apart in the weeks after Week 4.

I debated on sending my congratulations to Pittsburgh for getting off the list, but they should have never been on it in the first place. On the bright side, after the Super Bowl, we are all on the same page, right?

Atlanta Falcons (4-11)
A disappointing 1-3 start only to be followed up by a 3-8 record, leaving them at 4-11 entering Week 17.

Oh, they also play playoff bound Carolina to end their season. It’s almost safe to say that they’ll finish up 4-12 and enjoying a top-5 draft pick.

In Atlanta’s defence (and I’m not talking about that poor excuse of what they do on the field), their highly explosive offence was bitten by the injury bug, losing Roddy White, Julio Jones, and Steven Jackson for long periods of time.

They stand out as the biggest disappointment of 2013, going from the team predicted to lead the NFC South all the way, to losing at home to a few teams that made this list.

Houston Texans (2-13)
The Texans were the epitome of a disappointment towards fans. They literally went from first in the AFC to the absolute worst.

Sometimes it is amazing to watch a team fall apart over the course of a full season, but Houston strove to do it quicker.

How do you reward a coach who wins the division twice in a row? Getting him fired of course!

This team had promise and was in talks of a possible Super Bowl appearance. Unfortunately this seems to happen to at least one team a season (2011 Eagles, 2012 Saints/Lions etc.).

Well at least they made the record books at most games ended by an interception for a touchdown.

Early prediction: they’ll make this list again next year.

Washington Redskins (3-12)
There is absolutely no surprise here that as of last year, the Redskins were in a ‘playoffs or bust’ mindset by trading a boatload of draft picks to the Rams for RGIII.

In what is jokingly called the NFC (L)East, Washington ran away with the division title and a first round exit.

They came back strong, being blown in the first half of Chip Kelly’s first NFL game as the Eagles Head Coach.

They continued to lose to almost every team possible while consistently making a legendary head coach look like Richard Kotite.

Another first to worst’ case with locker room problems is surely a recipe for disaster going into the offseason.

Detroit Lions (7-8)
Yes, this is a debatable selection, however they had way too much going for them while riding a strong start to not make this list.

At Week 14, Detroit positioned itself nicely, leading the NFC North and having a stellar divisional record of 5-1.

Fortunes even got better with the loss of divisional starting quarterbacks Aaron Rodgers and Jay Cutler.

This franchise must be snake bitten, as they dropped the next three games and found themselves out of the playoffs before the season could even end.

Congratulations Detroit, by hyping up your fan-base in the beginning of the season, you really know how to disappoint.

Honourable mentions:
Oh we aren’t done here!

There are some more teams that disappoint, however the sting wasn’t as bad since their expectations weren’t the highest to begin with.

New York Giants – There is no reason as to why the Giants started off 0-6 during the easier portion of their schedule. They deserve some credit for their comeback in the second half of the season though.

Minnesota Vikings– They did lead the division last year but lost with a better team. Goes to show how valuable an elite quarterback can be for a team.

Now with an ageing defence, it’s hard to see them going in the right direction for a while.

Baltimore Ravens – Had this article been written next week, they could find themselves at the top of the list for most disappointing. No excuse for winning a Super Bowl then blacking out the next season.

Dallas Cowboys – If it was ever their year, this would be it. The Redskins and Giants struggled early (and late for Washington) while the Eagles switched quarterback midseason.

Now, they face Philadelphia for a playoff spot without Tony Romo. If they lose, it’s the third season in a row they lost a Week 17 game for playoff contention.