NFL Teams That Still Have A Lot To Prove

We are only three games into the season but already there are a number of teams getting a lot of hype and excitement thrown their way that perhaps do not deserve it yet.  People have the tendency to overreact in the early part of the season.  With that said, let us step back and take a look at a handful of teams that are getting a ton of praise that we need to reevaluate.

New England Patriots

The New England Patriots have the third best odds in the NFL of winning the Super Bowl at 10/1.  They currently have a 3-0 record.  However, it was not an easy 3-0 record to obtain by any means, and if I am a Pats fan, I am worried.

The Patriots are normally a high-octane offense.  Thus far in the season they have only scored 59 points.  That puts their offense in the same league as teams like the Oakland Raiders (57) and Arizona Cardinals (56).  Their first two wins of the season came by only a combined five points.  The teams they struggled against were the New York Jets and St. Louis Rams, not exactly teams people are talking about making a Super Bowl run.  They bounced back in Week 3 by beating the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 23-3, but that is not exactly an impressive feat, considering all the problems the Bucs have.  The Pats still definitely have a lot to prove despite being 3-0

Tennessee Titans

When the Tennessee Titans beat the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 1 it was a shocking win but one that was more telling of how bad the Steelers have gotten not how good the Titans had become.  When they came close to beating the Houston Texans in Week 2 one of the game’s commentators said the Titans will be giving a lot of team’s trouble this year.  In Week 3 when they defeated the San Diego Chargers, breaking an eight-year-long losing streak against the team, it was declared the Titans were “the real deal” by many sports analysts on Twitter.

I say not so fast.  Yes, the Titans game-wining drive against the Chargers looked like poetry in motion, but they have not exactly been able to perform at that level consistently.  I will be more willing to make an assessment of the Titans after Week 6 when they have battled through a tough few weeks against the Jets, Kansas City Chiefs and Seattle Seahawks.

Philadelphia Eagles

The Philadelphia Eagles are the only team that everyone is still acting like is a contender despite having a 1-2 record. We get it, Chip Kelly’s offense is fun to watch and you still want to hang on to some hope that it can work in the NFL.  However, all this hope is based on one win against the Washington Redskins who are 0-3 at the moment, facing some major problems of their own.

The Eagles have lost to the San Diego Chargers, and when they took on a real Super Bowl contender in the Chiefs they lost by 10 points.  At least Bovada haslost the Eagles-fever given them 75/1 odds at making a Super Bowl run.