2009 NFL Season: The Year of Terrible Teams

Every year in the NFL there is that team. Last year we had the Lions (0-16), and the year before we had the Dolphins (1-15). Is it just me, or is this the year of terrible teams in the NFL? Through 5 weeks of football, there are 9 teams with 1 win or less, including four teams that are winless (Chiefs, Rams, Buccaneers, and Titans). Over the last 5 years, there has been an average of 5.2 teams each season with 4 or less wins throughout the season. Is it just early season jitters, or will the season end with these 9 teams having four or less wins as they are currently projected? Could this be the season that we have multiple teams without a win? Could we have 9 teams or more with 4 or less wins?

1-4 Teams

The Browns, Bills, Raiders, Lions, and Panthers all have 1 win. The Panthers are the only team with a legitimate shot at reaching 5 wins, and that may even be a stretch. The Raiders have allowed 81 more points than they have scored and their next three games are against the Eagles, Jets, and Chargers. The Bills and Browns played a physical battle in week five that ended in a 6-3 Browns win. The only wins I see in the future for these teams are against each other. I would be surprised if the Browns, Bills, Raiders, and Lions recorded even three wins the entire years.

Winless Teams

The Titans are the one team in this group that you know is not as bad as they look. The team is only a couple of defensive players different from their 2008 playoff team. The Chiefs, Buccaneers, and Rams are a completely different story. The Rams have allowed 112 more points than they have scored and they are losing by an average of 22.4 points each game. The Rams may challenge the Lions as the only team to ever go 0-16. The Buccaneers and Chiefs both have struggling defenses and poor running games despite having talent at the position.

Any Hope in Sight?

We are already more than a quarter way through the season and is seems as though the rich are getting richer and the poor are only getting poorer. Massive firings are in sight and that won't help these teams win any more games. The nine teams that are struggling are not missing all of their skill players due to injuries, they are just plain awful. On the other hand, you could discuss that there are more Super Bowl contenders than in previous years, but that is besides the point. There may be hope in sight and it could just be too early to tell, but the state of the bottom feeders of the NFL is not pretty.

Predictions

The Rams will lose every game this season, the Redskins who have two wins now will finish with 4 wins, the Chiefs, Lions, Buccaneers, and Browns will all have three wins or less. There will be 9 teams with 4 or less wins this season including the Redskins who are currently 2-3. The Panthers and Titans could each reach 5 wins, but will only 11 games left, they better step up quickly. Unless something turns around, we could be in for a historically rough season for a record number of NFL franchises.