It’s time to check in on the teams that can’t get out of their own way. We’re just about halfway through the 2022 NFL season, and it’s been unpredictable at times, but there are always a few teams we expect to disappoint their fan base. Now let’s get into the powerless ranking for Week 8.
Teams on the doorstep: Denver Broncos (3-5), Arizona Cardinals (3-5), Jacksonville Jaguars (2-6)
Carolina put up a good fight in Week 8 against division rival Atlanta but ultimately fell short, 37-34. P.J. Walker threw for 317 yards while Christian McCaffrey’s fill-in D’Onta Foreman rushed for 118 yards and three TDs, and it still wasn’t enough to overcome the Falcons.
The Panthers were so close to improving to 2-0 following the McCaffrey trade. If D.J. Moore doesn’t take his helmet off after scoring the game-tying TD with 14 seconds left in regulation, prompting an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty (which really shouldn’t have been as he was not on the field at the time), the Panther likely would’ve accomplished that feat. Instead, the extra point was moved back and missed sending the game to overtime, where Carolina lost by three points. That’s a mistake that Moore probably won’t make again because it cost his team the game.
This season continues to get worse and worse for Las Vegas. This was a team with expectations coming into the season, and after playing seven games, they’ve won two. The Raiders beat the Texans last week and scored 38 points in the process.
This week the Raiders racked up a great big goose egg. The Saints shut them out, 24-0, with Andy Dalton leading the way at quarterback for New Orleans. Dalton flashed back to his days in Cincinnati, passing for nearly 230 yards and two TDs without throwing an interception.
Davante Adams had his worst game as a Raider, catching just one pass for three yards. He was dealing with a “bug” in the days leading up to Week 8 against New Orleans, according to his head coach Josh McDaniels. Nothing worked for Las Vegas on Sunday, as Carr passed for 101 yards on 26 attempts. McDaniels is supposed to be a “genius” on offense but having Tom Brady for years would make most coaches look good.
The Texans feel like they should be better than they are, especially in the AFC South. They have some pieces like Dameon Pierce and Brandin Cooks on offense, but their QB, Davis Mills, doesn’t seem to be the long-term answer in Houston.
This Texans’ defense only gave up 17 points, but they also allowed Derrick Henry to rush for 219 yards and two touchdowns. Titans rookie QB Malik Willis made his first career start and got the win by attempting just 10 passes. That’s life as a Houston Texan right there.
Steelers rookie QB Kenny Pickett was sacked six times by the Eagles as he passed for just 191 yards in the 35-13 loss in the battle of Pennsylvania. The only TD of the day for Pittsburgh came on a trick play with wide receiver Chase Claypool throwing a one-yard pass into the end zone to Derek Watt. That was the highlight of the day for the Steelers.
Detroit jumped out to a big lead on the back of two Jamaal Williams rushing TDs and a Jared Goff TD pass. The Lions did all that, then took a 27-17 lead into halftime and never scored again. Miami’s defense tightened up and shut down the Lions in the second half while scoring 14 unanswered points in the third quarter to get the 31-27 victory over Detroit.
Just when the Lions seem like they’re going to catch a break and everything is clicking, they come out flat in the second half and blow another game. Lions head coach Dan Campbell is 4-19-1 through 24 games in Detroit. We’re hardly halfway through season two for Campbell as head coach, but it’s been a rough start to his tenure in every sense of the term.