Which 0-2 Teams Are in the Most Trouble?
By Jason Lisk
Dallas has moved the ball and has outgained their opponents, but costly turnovers and breakdowns at key moments have left the Cowboys winless. They have a tough third game against a team that dominated them in the third preseason matchup. Dallas can get back into it, but the margin of error is going to be smaller with games still to come against the AFC South, Green Bay, New Orleans, and the division opponents.
The positive for Dallas is that no one in the division is undefeated, so they still control their fate within the division. Minnesota played better defensively, but is still struggling in the passing game. We know they can do better, but I’m not confident they can get it turned around in time, as they are already two games back in the division and face a must-win against the Lions.
The 0-2 team that has the best chance of making the playoffs is the one we saw last night, San Francisco. One reason is opportunity, as they do not have to win as many games to make the playoffs in the NFC West. The other reason is how they have lost, with crucial turnovers and bad mistakes, as opposed to consistently getting beat at the line of scrimmage. If you can have an unforced safety, two tipped interceptions, a fumble in the red zone and a fumble on a punt (which took one of the unluckiest bounces right along the sideline) and still only lose by a last second field goal against the defending Super Bowl champs, then you have a chance to turn it around when the luck goes the other way. The defense looks salty, and Alex Smith looked like a real quarterback. I know at least one team that should be willing to swap quarterbacks with the 49ers.
Detroit intrigues me, as I think they are flashing enough to be on the radar for 2011. The defensive unit is still giving up big plays, but Best looks legit and they have scored points. I don’t see a playoff push, but I look for them to pull some upsets down the stretch.
At the other end of the spectrum, Cleveland can take solace in the fact that it lost two close games. Of course, those games were against Kansas City and Tampa Bay. St. Louis can join them, except their close losses are against the even more uninspiring slate of Arizona and Oakland. Meanwhile, Carolina and Cleveland are both having major issues at quarterback.
The Bills appear to have been reduced to removing Marshawn Lynch from the doghouse to audition him for a trade, as he got 17 carries against Green Bay. If you are going to Ryan Fitzpatrick in week 3, well, that’s not good, as he ranks ahead of only Danny Kanell in league-adjusted career yards per attempt among all quarterbacks with 700 career passes. Of course, it may be as good as option A, Trent Edwards. Carolina, meanwhile, is going to the rookie Jimmy Clausen, which is probably not a recipe for a resurgent season. At least John Fox can get him some reps so he is ready for the new coach. [photos via Getty]