There are a handful of NFL teams below-500, but a handful can still redeem themselves and make the playoffs.
One of the biggest factors in what makes the NFL is so popular is the parity of the sport. It is the any given Sunday mentality and the thought that any team can beat any other team on their best day. So far through five weeks we have seen upsets, surprises and the realization that some teams are not who we thought they were.
At the same time, some of these teams may still be who we thought they were. Factors such as the schedule, injuries, and plenty of other circumstances can give a team a misleading record this early in the season. So which fan bases should sit back and wait before hitting the panic button this early in the year?
Here are the 5 teams with losing records that have the best chance to redeem themselves
5. Tampa Bay BuccaneersÂ
A lot of people came into the season expecting the Buccaneers to take a step forward this year. With Week 5 here, the Bucs are 1-3 and things appear to be typically putrid. Have no fear, Bucs fans, there is still one person in this world who believes in you.
So far, little has gone right for the Buccaneers. The team wanted to be run first. Â Then, in week 1 their workhorse back, Doug Martin went down with a hamstring injury. Since then, the team then had to play the Arizona Cardinals, a team many saw being Super Bowl contenders, the Denver Broncos, who won the Super Bowl last season and the Los Angeles Rams, a team with wins over the Seattle Seahawks and Cardinals.
What has plagued the Bucs in those tough games has been turnovers from Jameis Winston, and issues with the defense. Winston has thrown eight interceptions this season. Six have come in the first half. This was a problem in which Winston had at Florida State as well. He seems to get excited early into games, force throws and we have seen the results.
With Doug Martin potentially back into the mix soon, this should help Winston in a significant way. The Bucs want to run the ball, especially early in these games. It was what they did in their season opener that resulted in a win against the mighty Atlanta Falcons, and it could end up as a winning formula for this team moving forward.
Both Gerald McCoy and Robert Ayers have an injury on the defensive side of the ball, and the team will be in big trouble without them. However, both had a chance to play in week 5, and with a bye  in week 6, the hope is that Martin, McCoy, and Ayers are all on the field in week 7. The Bucs schedule breaks easier down the stretch with the 49ers, Bears, Chargers, and two Saints games on the schedule. They also come off of the bye with a trip to the 49ers followed by three straight home games.
Let’s give the Bucs until that home stand to officially write them off. Injuries and the schedule have combined to put them in a rough spot, but the team can still pull themselves out of it. They have the lone win over the division leader and all around have the talent to potentially make a late season run.
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