Expectations were sky-high for the Philadelphia Eagles following their Super Bowl win, but it's safe to say that through 13 weeks, they haven't come close to meeting them. Their Week 13 game was a prime example of that. With the entire country watching on Black Friday, the Eagles lost by two scores on their home field in a huge game against the Chicago Bears. The Eagles had a chance to prove they're legitimate Super Bowl contenders, and they fell flat on their faces. This does not look anything like the juggernaut we saw in 2024.
To make matters worse, the 24-15 final score was closer than the game actually was. The Bears led wire to wire, and the Eagles were down by as many as 15 points. The Eagles might be 8-4, but again, they look nothing like true contenders. In fact, it wouldn't be a stretch to rank them among the most disappointing NFL teams this season.
Ranking the NFL's most disappointing teams through Black Friday
7. Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals earned their biggest win in quite some time on Thanksgiving on the road against the Baltimore Ravens, but all that win did was improve their record to 4-8. Beating the Ravens on the road on such a huge stage was great to see, but at 4-8, their playoff odds are practically zero. A 4-8 record for a team with as much star power as Cincinnati is incredibly underwhelming.
The reason they only rank seventh on the list, though, comes down to Joe Burrow's injury. Cincinnati's gunslinger suffered a toe injury in Week 2, and that sidelined him until Week 13. The Bengals got off to a 2-0 start with Burrow under center, and just won in his first game back. This means they're 3-0 in games Burrow starts, and 1-8 when he's unable to suit up.
Sure, they should be better than 1-8 without him, but it's hard to knock them too much when they're undefeated with Burrow.
6. Philadelphia Eagles
The Eagles are undoubtedly among the most disappointing teams, but there are levels to this. Is it frustrating that they don't look like a team capable of defending their title? Absolutely. However, they're still 8-4 and hold a 1.5-game lead in the NFC East. There's a very good chance the Eagles will win the division and host at least one playoff game, and there's even an outside chance that the Eagles will finish the year as the No. 1 seed and earn a first-round bye.
An early playoff exit would be disappointing for the Eagles, obviously, but is that really worse than some of the other teams on this list who were expected to compete for or make the playoffs and likely won't? I'd argue no.
5. Atlanta Falcons
The Atlanta Falcons earned back-to-back wins against the Washington Commanders and Buffalo Bills to improve to 3-2 on the year. Beating two teams many envisioned would be real postseason contenders signaled that the Falcons had turned a corner and should be taken seriously. Well, they lost five in a row after that, falling to 3-7 on the year. Even after their recent win against the New Orleans Saints, the Falcons are just 4-7 and are likely to miss the playoffs.
Their offense, despite rostering both Bijan Robinson and Drake London, ranks 26th in the NFL, averaging just 19.9 points per game this season. Their quarterback play has a lot to do with that. Michael Penix Jr. wasn't particularly effective before suffering a season-ending injury, and Kirk Cousins has been nothing short of a disaster in Atlanta.
The Falcons are likely to miss the playoffs, and their quarterback and head coach situation is incredibly murky. There isn't a lot to like in Atlanta right now.
4. Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings made the controversial decision of letting Sam Darnold walk in free agency and replacing him with J.J. McCarthy, a rookie who missed the entire 2024 campaign. The thought at the time was that Kevin O'Connell would help any quarterback succeed, but given Darnold's success in Seattle and McCarthy's struggles to stay healthy and productive in Minnesota, that hasn't exactly been the case this season.
The result of their subpar quarterback play is an offense that's 25th in the NFL, averaging 20.4 points per game, and a 4-7 record, good for last place in the NFC North. Going from being a 14-3 team to virtually out of postseason contention by Week 13 is a rough look for a Vikings team many thought would find its way back in the playoffs even without Darnold.
3. Las Vegas Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders made it clear that they were entering win-now mode by hiring Pete Carroll as their head coach, trading for Geno Smith, and drafting a running back, Ashton Jeanty, in the first round of the NFL Draft. Admittedly, picking them to even come close to winning an incredibly competitive AFC West wasn't realistic, but expecting them to compete for a playoff spot was very fair.
Unfortunately, this season has been a rough one, virtually from start to finish. They won their Week 1 game against the New England Patriots, but they've lost nine of 10 since, six of which have come by double figures. Smith has been atrocious under center, and the offense as a whole has struggled to the point where offensive coordinator Chip Kelly was fired.
The Raiders are 2-9 and are in contention for the No. 1 overall pick in a year that they hoped to be competitive. Not great.
2. Washington Commanders
The Washington Commanders shocked the NFL world in 2024, making it all the way to the NFC Championship Game. Jayden Daniels established himself as one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL, and there was reason to believe he'd get even better with a full season under his belt. They even bolstered their offense in a big way by trading for Laremy Tunsil and Deebo Samuel. Unfortunately, things have not gone as planned at all.
Washington is 3-8 on the year, tying them for the third-worst record in the NFC. Instead of competing for a Super Bowl title, they're all but out of Super Bowl contention with six games yet to be played. Some of their struggles have to do with the fact that Daniels has been limited to just six games, but the team has gone just 2-4 when Daniels has been able to suit up.
They were supposed to compete with the Eagles for the NFC East crown, but instead, are competing for the No. 1 overall pick.
1. Kansas City Chiefs
You knew they'd be here. Am I being too harsh on the Kansas City Chiefs? Perhaps. But after their frustrating Thanksgiving Day loss, the Chiefs are now 6-6 on the year. Barring a massive swing, they're going to miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014, and for the first time in the Patrick Mahomes era.
Injuries and a Rashee Rice suspension have impacted the Chiefs, but every team deals with injuries in the NFL. The fact of the matter is that the Chiefs were among the prohibitive favorites to win the Super Bowl, and they're likely going to miss the playoffs. This is the reality they're in.
Sure, the Chiefs are a better team than most of the teams on this list, but their expectations were a lot higher. I mean, they haven't even fallen short of the AFC Championship Game in the Mahomes era. Going from that to missing the playoffs entirely, and facing such long odds as early as late November, is a tough pill to swallow.
The Eagles failing to repeat as Super Bowl champions would be disappointing, especially if they're unable to even get back to the big game, but at least they're likely to make the playoffs. The same cannot be said about the team they beat in the 2024 Super Bowl.