Several NFL teams that made the playoffs last year should be concerned about the way the 2022 season has unfolded thus far—one of those clubs kicked off Week 7 Thursday night.
Typically, teams that reach the postseason look to make a deeper run or defend a title reign in the following campaign. But every year, multiple clubs fail to make it back to the playoffs. Oftentimes, you can see the red flags early in the season with the loss of talent, roster or coaching changes that fall flat or the elevation of competition within a division.
We’ll highlight seven 2021 postseason clubs at .500 or below that have struggled because of the aforementioned circumstances and assess the level of panic around their chances of clinching a playoff berth in 2022.
Teams with tougher pathways back to the postseason will have a panic meter that rises close to 10, while squads likely to shake off a slow start are lower down the spectrum.
Our list doesn’t include the New England Patriots or Cincinnati Bengals. Both squads are 3-3 but gained momentum in recent weeks, with New England winning back-to-back games and Cincy taking three of their last four contests.
Arizona Cardinals
Before Thursday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, the Arizona Cardinals offense looked out of sorts, averaging 19 points per contest while ranking 22nd in scoring.
Head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who has an offensive pedigree, answered questions about the issues on that side of the ball and even talked about ceding play-calling duties.
Kyler Murray has said wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins won’t fix all of the team’s offensive issues, but he certainly provided a significant boost, hauling in 10 passes for 103 yards in a 42-34 victory over the Saints.
Though the Cardinals recorded pick-sixes on consecutive drives in the first half, they still had a strong offensive performance, reaching paydirt on three out of four red-zone trips, which is a notable improvement from their 50 percent touchdown rate inside the 20-yard line for the season.
Also, Arizona found some balance with its ground attack while starting running back James Conner (ribs) watched from the sideline. Eno Benjamin registered 12 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown. Fellow tailback Keaontay Ingram scored on a two-yard run.
Hopkins’ presence forces the opposing team to roll coverage and perhaps an extra defender over to his side of the formation. Now, his teammates should see more space in the open field. Once newly acquired (from the Carolina Panthers) speedy wideout Robbie Anderson acclimates himself to the offense, he could make big-play contributions downfield.
On Thursday, we saw the Cardinals play a complete game on both sides of the ball; the Saints piled on 10 points late in the contest to dress up the score.
With Hopkins on the field, Arizona quelled some concerns about its offense. Now, the club has to avenge a couple of division losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. The Cardinals dug an early hole for themselves with a 2-4 start, which adds some difficulty to their pathway back to the playoffs, but the team looks like it's on the right track again.
They need to establish consistency, though—one game with two defensive touchdowns doesn't prove a team has turned the corner. Keep in mind this club has faded late in all three seasons with Kyler Murray under center.
Panic Meter: 4
Green Bay Packers
Aaron Rodgers cannot sit in front of a mic and just say R-E-L-A-X this time. The Green Bay Packers have issues on both sides of the ball, and their special teams unit allowed a blocked field goal and a blocked punt to the New York Jets last week. This feels more like Y-I-K-E-S.
The Packers selected defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt and inside linebacker Quay Walker in the first round of the 2022 draft, but their front seven looks soft against the run, allowing the sixth-most rushing yards per game while giving up 4.9 yards per carry (ranked 25th). Green Bay has surrendered at least 125 rushing yards in five of its games this season.
On top of that, the Packers defense must rely on getting off the field on third down because they seldom force turnovers. Going into Week 7, they’re tied with the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions for the second-fewest takeaways.
Offensively, Green Bay has had to adjust without Davante Adams, who’s now a Las Vegas Raider, but they do have four pass-catchers with 219-plus receiving yards in Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Romeo Doubs and Robert Tonyan. Yet they’ve been careless with the football, turning it over eight times in six games, and their ground attack runs hot and cold with two viable ball-carriers in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. The latter averages just 3.9 yards per carry.
Fortunately for the Packers, they’re not in a stacked division, with the Chicago Bears (2-4) and Detroit Lions (1-4) behind them. In the NFC North, Green Bay (3-3) only looks up to the Minnesota Vikings (5-1), whom they lost to in Week 1.
With a four-time league MVP under center and several established names on defense such as Kenny Clark, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, De'Vondre Campbell and Jaire Alexander, the Packers have enough talent to turn their season around before it goes off the rails.
As the season progresses, offensive tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins should perform a lot better as they get back into the groove from extended absences because of torn ACLs, which will strengthen Rodgers’ pass protection (he’s taken 15 sacks).
At worst, Green Bay will finish second in its division and clinch a wild-card spot.
Panic Meter: 3