We’re at that point in the NFL season where teams are starting to realize they may not get out of the hole they put themselves in. The Baltimore Ravens are a great example. They entered the year with a mountain of expectations to reach the playoffs and go on a deep run. Now, both of those goals are quite unlikely. While it wasn’t necessarily a hot start, they’re a team that’s quickly fallen apart.
Another team that’s unraveled rather quickly is the Arizona Cardinals. Once the season started, the NFC West looked like one of the most competitive divisions in the league. Now, while still having three solid teams, the Cardinals have quickly played themselves out of contention for the division title and possibly out of the postseason.
Here are some other teams we’ve quickly forgotten about as their hot starts went ice cold at the midway point of the season. There’s still time to make up ground, but for some of these teams, it might just be a lost cause.
Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Vikings had such high hopes for the 2025 season just for them to come crashing down. J.J. McCarthy has missed extended time with an injury and now that Carson Wentz is out with a shoulder injury, it’s not looking optimistic for Minnesota. They’re 3-4 this season and have dropped three of the last four games. This feels less like a rough patch and more the identity of this team.
They could have brought Sam Darnold back and not skipped a beat offensively. Instead, they’ve handcuffed themselves to McCarthy who’s quickly becoming an injury liability and holding this team back. Their season could go from bad to worse if they don’t find a way to start stringing some wins together.
Arizona Cardinals
The Cardinals have a serious problem. What started out as a 2-0 season for them has turned into five straight losses. It doesn’t feel like they’re going to turn things around any time soon and they’re probably in the worst position of any struggling team. They just hired Jonathan Gannon as their coach ahead of the 2023 season.
It’s unfortunate that his job is tied to Kyler Murray, who hasn’t really been impressive and honestly not available either. This team is underperforming, but there’s not one particular thing you could point to as to why. Is it a coaching problem? Personnel problem? It might be time to start thinking about a full rebuild in Arizona.
Washington Commanders
Have the Washington Commanders come back down to earth? They started out 3-2 and looked very much like a team that was ready to return to the NFC title game. Now, they’ve lost the last three games and have to find a way to turn things around in a tough division. The most important thing is for Jayden Daniels to get healthy. He’s missed three games so far this year and could miss more depending on how his hamstring injury heals.
I don’t think it’s time to get extremely concerned if you’re a Commanders fan, but the truth is they might be more sellers at the trade deadline than buyers, which is not ideal for a team looking to contend. They could of course trim the fat while retaining their top players to stay competitive. But things are looking grim for Washington and if they don’t get healthy, it’s not going to get any better.
Jacksonville Jaguars
The Jacksonville Jaguars are in an interesting position as well. They started the year 1-1 before winning three straight games and challenging the Indianapolis Colts for the top spot in the AFC South division. Since then, the Jags have lost the last two games and are slowly starting to drift into familiar territory.
The Jags are no strangers to squandering slow starts; that’s largely what got Doug Pederson fired. If they do it again, it might be more of a curse than anything. Trevor Lawrence was under immense pressure to win this year after he signed a five year, $275 million extension, despite having just one playoff win.
The next five games will determine Jacksonville’s fate. They have three games they should win and a matchup against the Houston Texans and Los Angeles Chargers, which could go either way. They can’t afford too many more losses if they want to return to the postseason.