With 14 games remaining on the schedule, it would seem there’s enough time to discover the magic potion that can turn their frowns upside down.
But two weeks into the NFL season, a number of teams already have discovered the difference between eliciting buzz about being a playoff or Super Bowl contender and actually meriting such consideration with your play.
Can a team with serious aspirations of spending February in Detroit fail to score on four tries from inside the 10- yard line one week, then not capitalize against an opponent seemingly intent on giving the game away the next?
Can you insist you’re a better team by trading away one of the NFL’s most explosive players, then make that statement appear totally ludicrous by committing a mind-numbing 12 turnovers in two games? Can you whet the appetites of a playoff-starved city, then not only fail to win, but give away an almost certain victory by failing to score a touchdown in five trips inside the red zone?
Those are the questions being asked today in San Diego, Minnesota and Arizona, where the Chargers, Vikings and Cardinals, three teams with varying measures of postseason hopes, are a collective 0-6.
You know it’s a bad sign when a coach opens his day-after-the-game news conference by praising the performance of his punter, as Minnesota’s Mike Tice did Monday after falling to Cincinnati. In a similarly happy vein, citing the Bengals’ average offensive starting position for their 12 possessions – their own 40-yard line – Tice allowed, “We’re lucky we only gave up 37 points.”
Certainly there are other teams with issues. Not only did Carolina make Tom Brady look human, rattling the New England Patriots into 12 penalties and three turnovers in a 27-17 victory, its all-out assault on one of the league’s glamour quarterbacks may have provided a blueprint on how to play the two-time defending champs. This with games against the Steelers, Chargers, Falcons and Broncos the next four weeks. Of course, if any team has shown the ability to adapt, it’s the Patriots. For others, the process is proving far more elusive.
Case in point, the Oakland Raiders, another 0-2 team that has discovered the bite of reality versus expectation.
The silver and black’s immediate goal wasn’t necessarily to get to Detroit and Super Bowl XL, but rather, to remove the stench from the 4-12 and 5-11 records of the past two seasons. On the surface, that minimum step would seem easy for an offense featuring Randy Moss, Jerry Porter and LaMont Jordan.
Moss, a former Vikings star, is averaging almost 26 yards a catch, with touchdown receptions of 73 and 64 yards. Porter and Jordan also have been impressive. Even so, the trio hasn’t been able to overcome Oakland’s penchant for penalties.
In Sunday night’s 23-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, Moss and Jordan had touchdowns negated because of flags, typical for a team that has led the league in infractions the past two seasons and now has 23 in two games.
Without all the miscues, the Raiders certainly would be 1-1, possibly 2-0. No wonder that as he walked through the bowels of McAfee Coliseum after Sunday night’s game, Chiefs coach Dick Vermeil insisted Oakland isn’t far from a turnaround.
“It’s so early in the season,” Vermeil said. “They’re going to win some games like they lost tonight, and once they start winning those, they’ll probably win some more. All the stuff they’ve done will pay off for them; sometimes it just takes a little time.”
Perhaps, but for the Raiders and the other early-season disappointments, there may not be that much more left on the clock.
NFL Week 2
NFL reporter Anthony Cotton offers observations on the week that was and what to look for next:
Instant replay
For all the preseason talk about Carolina, Minnesota and Atlanta emerging from the NFC, Philadelphia showed why it’s still the class of the conference Sunday in its 42-3 rout of San Francisco. Donovan McNabb showed – once again – why he’s one of the toughest players in the league.
Game of the week
New England at Pittsburgh: On Sunday, Carolina said it avenged its Super Bowl XXXVIII loss to the Patriots. This weekend, the Steelers will take a shot at payback for last season’s AFC championship game loss. Tom Brady and Rodney Harrison yawn and say, “See you in this season’s playoffs.”
Trending
As Cadillac Williams takes the lead in the rookie of the year race for the 2-0 Bucs, even Jon Gruden finds reason to smile. … The Texans fire offensive coordinator Chris Palmer, but others say the problem really is David Carr. … The Colts haven’t allowed a first-half point and just 10 overall this season. See the Patriots’ reaction above.
Staff writer Anthony Cotton can be reached at 303-820-1292 or acotton@denverpost.com.
