Opinion: Panic time? How concerned Buccaneers, Patriots and other NFL contenders should be about latest flops
The mighty have faltered – at least temporarily.
Week 15 of the NFL regular season proved unkind to many of the leading contenders in both conferences.
In the same week, four of the AFC’s top seven teams – the New England Patriots, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens and Los Angeles Chargers – all suffered losses while the NFC's Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were upset as well.
These defeats carry major implications for some of these squads.
New England lost the top spot in the AFC, and now the Patriots and Titans both trail the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chargers remain in position for a wild-card bid at No. 6, but Baltimore went from leading the AFC North and holding one of the top four spots in the conference to falling out of the playoff seeding while sliding to eighth. Over in the NFC, the Cardinals have dropped to fourth after spending weeks battling with Green Bay for the top spot in the conference, while Tampa now trails the Packers and Dallas Cowboys.
So, what does it all mean? Did these losses raise red flags, or were they merely aberrations?
We’re taking the pulse of each of these wobbled front-runners and determining whether or not they have reason for concern as the NFL enters its final three weeks of the season.
New England Patriots
What just happened: The Indianapolis Colts handed the Patriots a 27-17 loss at Lucas Oil Stadium and snapped New England’s seven-game win streak. Now at 9-5, the Patriots rank second in the AFC and saw their lead over the Buffalo Bills in their division shrink to one game.
Level of concern: Moderate
Losing the top seed would mean no opening-round bye and a more challenging path to the Super Bowl. The Patriots do remain in the driver's seat of their division, and they next face the Bills at Gillette Stadium. But the Colts exposed the limitations that New England faces when they have to rely on the arm of Mac Jones. The rookie quarterback has played well largely thanks to New England having the luxury of leaning on a strong run game and defense to ensure balance and guard against overtaxing Jones. But New England fell into an early double-digit hole against Indianapolis, and Jones attempted 45 passes (the second-highest total of his inaugural season) and completed just 57.78% of those attempts (the second-worst mark of his year), finishing with two touchdown passes and two interceptions. New England can’t let Buffalo get off to a strong start. A loss to the Bills would knock the Patriots out of the divisional lead because Buffalo would, as of Sunday, hold the tiebreaker on record within the AFC East.
Tennessee Titans
What just happened: A 10-point halftime lead against the offensively-challenged Pittsburgh Steelers wasn’t safe, and three second-half turnovers spelled doom. Pittsburgh grinded out a 16-0 run after halftime and won 19-13 after a fourth-down stand deep in their own territory.
Level of concern: Moderate, but rising
This team just isn’t the same without Derrick Henry, and the more Ryan Tannehill has the ball in his hands, the more likely he seems to commit some crippling gaffe. Since Henry’s foot injury in Week 8, the Titans are -13 in the turnover battle. The points may be hard to come by (Tennessee hasn’t scored more than 20 points in four straight games now), but thanks to an improved defense, they’ll still make the playoffs. But they very much have the look of a one-and-done team.
Los Angeles Chargers
What just happened: The ups and downs continue for this squad. They caught the Chiefs at the right time early this year, then caught them at the bad time this week as Patrick Mahomes and Co. topped them in overtime.
Level of concern: Low
Catching the Chiefs for the AFC West lead seems unlikely, but the Chargers don’t have the worst closing schedule (at Houston Texans, vs. Denver Broncos, at Las Vegas Raiders), and should be able to finish on an upswing. L.A. does have the potential to match up well with just about every team in the playoff field. But mentally, this team just isn’t quite there yet. They haven’t found that consistent sense of urgency that it takes to win these big games.
Baltimore Ravens
What just happened: Although severely undermanned thanks to injury and COVID-19, the Ravens made a late charge against the visiting Green Bay Packers and just narrowly missed converting a two-point conversion that could have given them a lead with 42 seconds left in a 31-30 loss. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Bengals beat the Broncos and overtook first place in the AFC North by a hair.
Level of concern: High
How many hits can one team sustain and still be okay? The Ravens hope to get Lamar Jackson back from a sprained ankle that forced him to miss Sunday’s game. But they remain battered along their offensive line and in the secondary. A closing stretch that features the Bengals, Los Angeles Rams and Steelers looks daunting. But the first step is beating Cincinnati on Sunday and avenging a midseason blowout loss. The Ravens had a healthy Jackson when they lost 41-17 at home to the Bengals in Week 7, so a rebound in this weakened state could prove challenging.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers
What just happened: Tom Brady and the Bucs ran into their Achilles heel (Dennis Allen’s defense) and fell to 0-4 in regular-season games against the New Orleans Saints the last two years.
Level of concern: Low
The Saints ensured that the Bucs will have to wait a little longer to clinch the NFC South. But it’s coming. The Bucs may be banged up (especially after losing Chris Godwin for the remainder of the season), but Brady will not let this team go on a season-ending slide. The team gets wide receiver Antonio Brown and safety Mike Edwards back from their three-game suspensions for using fake COVID-19 vaccination cards, and that’s just in time. The Bucs close out the season with two games against the struggling Carolina Panthers and a matchup with the New York Jets wedged in between.
Arizona Cardinals
What just happened: In what should have been a routine rebound victory following last week's loss to the Rams, the Cardinals went to Detroit and got trounced 30-12 by the Lions to suffer consecutive losses for the first time this season. With the defeat, the Cardinals fell further behind the Packers in the race for the top seed in the NFC and now likely have missed out on their shot at a first-round bye and homefield advantage.
Level of concern: Moderate
Kliff Kingsbury said he was "pissed" that his team got outcoached and outplayed by the Lions. Kyler Murray said he was “not at all” worried by the performance. “We’re still 10-4, still in first place. This is nowhere near where we were last year, and we’re not going to allow it to be.”
However, the Cardinals should be both upset and concerned. They aren't exactly at the same dominant form we saw during their 7-0 start to the season. They're 3-4 since and have yet to regain full health, don't have that same edge to them that they once did and now are in danger of losing the division to the Rams.
The Cardinals' final stretch consists of contests against Indianapolis, Dallas and the Seattle Seahawks, so there are no gimmes. The only saving grace is the fact that the Rams also have a tough finish with the Minnesota Vikings (against whom they don't match up well), Baltimore and the San Francisco 49ers. The Cardinals still could win their division, and they’re likely headed to the playoffs. But they have the look of a one-and-done squad.
Follow Paste BN Sports' Mike Jones on Twitter @ByMikeJones.