When the 2022 NFL season kicked off, about a dozen teams in both the AFC and NFC looked like legitimate playoff hopefuls.

Six of those contenders have quickly discovered their year might end in the regular season.

Most notably, the reigning champion Los Angeles Rams and NFC North power Green Bay Packers have struggled. The same goes for the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders, all of whom had legitimate playoff aspirations when the season began.

Heading into Week 10, all six are soundly on the outside of the playoff picture. None of them have managed more than three wins.

Although a number of things may have contributed to each team's decline, let's explore the biggest factor hampering all six.

Arizona Cardinals: Sluggish Starts

Through nine games, the Arizona Cardinals have surrendered the opening score in eight of them. One trend does not explain the entirety of the their issues, but this tendency has been a problematic tone-setter.

As if that isn't disappointing enough, all eight of those opponents put up points on their initial possession. The opening drives have resulted in a combined 44-16 deficit for Arizona.

The lone team to not score on its first possession, the Carolina Panthers, happened to fire its head coach one week later.

The Cardinals' offense is unimaginative, which is a damning sign for head coach Kliff Kingsbury's future in Arizona. However, the greater issue is that Kingsbury and his staff are getting outcoached from the opening whistle.

Kingsbury signed a contract extension this offseason that runs through 2027, but his future in Arizona is highly uncertain at best.