NFL Week 3: Teams needing to win most

The NFL is a crazy league. A teams can come into the season with all the expectations in the world, lose in Week 1 and then be in complete panic mode. No other sport provides that kind of must-win feeling from the starting gun, making it the most popular in America.

So which five teams (with hope) need to win this week? We run then down:

5. Cincinnati Bengals

We can debate if this team still has hope, but many believed this was a playoff team coming into the years. Cincinnati, which missed the postseason last year but made the playoffs each of the five prior campaigns, has to beat the Green Bay Packers in Lambeau Field in Week 3. If that isn’t daunting enough, it will have to happen without John Ross, Tyler Eifert and Vontaze Burfict. Tough place to save your season.

4. Arizona Cardinals

The Cardinals are 1-1 in a tough NFC, and the time has come to start playing well. Arizona has looked rancid to this point, getting blown out of Detroit by the Lions before barely beating the Indianapolis Colts in overtime. The Cardinals have to find a way to take down the Dallas Cowboys on Monday night, no easy task after the Cowboys were blown out 42-17 at Denver.

3. Baltimore Ravens

This might seem like an odd choice considering the Ravens are 2-0, but they play in a division with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Pittsburgh is already 2-0 and playing at Chicago this weekend, making the Ravens have to keep pace. Baltimore should be able to handle the Jacksonville Jaguars, who love to turn the ball over with Blake Bortles under center. By the way, the Ravens have 10 turnovers.

2. Detroit Lions

Another 2-0 team that makes the list. The Lions have to find a way to win this game. Detroit has never been able to defeat the best teams in the league since Matthew Stafford came to town almost a decade ago. Since drafting Stafford in 2009, the Lions are 5-46 against teams that finish the season with a winning record. Facing the Atlanta Falcons at home this week, the Lions have to get the job done and make believers of us all.

1. New York Giants

This one is obvious. The Giants were supposed to be one of the best teams in the league, but have started miserably. New York only has one touchdown in two games, and now goes to play the Philadelphia Eagles. Philadelphia has one of the best front sevens in the game, going against a Giants’ line that has been rancid beyond compare. If New York can’t get a win in Week 3, it’s likely all but over for Big Blue before the campaign hits October.