NFL: Trapped in no-man’s-land?

Some of them lived far above expectations, others remained below expectations. Others were unable to meet expectations due to injuries. For teams like the Green Bay Packers, the Washington Redskins or the Arizona Cardinals there is neither a playoff participation nor a very good draft pick. SPOX explains how the New York Jets and Cincinnati Bengals have experienced such unexpected seasons and what the future holds for them.

Disclaimer: As in the past season, SPOX is conducting a fault analysis for the teams that have arithmetically dropped out of the playoff race – including a look into the future. In the first part of the ongoing series, we have already looked at some of the teams eliminated from the playoff race.

What went wrong? The Packers’ season ended as early as Week 6 when Vikings’ linebacker Anthony Barr caught Aaron Rodgers and rammed him into the ground. Rodgers missed seven games after a collarbone surgery. Games that were a clear indication of the Packers’ franchise, because these seven games proved more than ever before the value Rodgers has for the team and that every success with him stands and falls.

Replacement Brett Hundley did what you would expect from a five-round pick with little time left. The Packers won three of the seven games without Rodgers and even gave him the chance to get into the playoffs for Week 15. For this, however, it would have taken three perfect performances against teams that are all still in the play-off race. Rodgers was not yet at 100% when he returned to Carolina. The game was lost and so they decided to put him back on the IR list.

One thing time has shown without him: Rodgers makes this team better than it actually is. With Hundley on the offensive side, it was hard to bring receivers Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson and Randall Cobb into the match. The offensive scheme was gradually adapted and made simpler.

The already existing problems in the defense became even more apparent under the inexperienced backup: Inconsistent performances of the pass rush and big problems in the secondary – the Packers played last Sunday with three unpunished cornerbacks – challenged Rodgers again and again to heroic performances. He is one of the few people he can call up. Achievements a Hundley can’t call off.

What remains this season? Hundley gets two more tryouts to prove his talent and improve as he did in the course of his first seven games. Adams will also become a Free Agent after the season. If the Packers want to re-enlist him, they have to dig deep into their pockets. In addition to Nelson’s 10.25 million and Cobbs’ 9.5 million dollars next year, a deal with Adams, which would probably be more expensive than these two, would be a lot of money for three receivers. Therefore, the next two matches could also be used to make a decision against one of the three receivers.

What’s the next step? In order to get the 34-year-old Rodgers into a position next season where he can win the Super Bowl, some adjustments have to be made. The Pass Defense must be adjusted urgently. After the Martellus Bennett disaster, a strong tight end has to be piloted to Wisconsin. The right-hand side of the offensive line is the subject of discussion due to Bryan Bulaga’s injury history. And finally, is Mike McCarthy the right coach? Did he understand during Rodger’s absence that the offensive scheme needs to be worked on?

What went wrong? It probably started already in the off-season, when the Redskins took Kirk Cousins back for another year, but lost their best weapons in DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon. Tight End Jordan Reed’s ongoing injury problems and the adjustment problems to Jay Gruden’s offense of new commitment Terrelle Pryor did not help in the course of the year.

Injuries were a big issue in the capital anyway. In the second half of the season, they pulled the best Rusher Chris Thompson out of traffic, even though he had made his yards more like passports. The Redskins didn’t have much of a running game this year. Rob Kelley and Rookie Samaje Perine both failed to live up to expectations and so it was mostly Cousins, Josh Doctson and Jamison Crowder who had to carry the offense.

Injuries also played a major role on the defensive side. With D. J. Swearinger, Ryan Kerrigan and Preston Smith, there were only three starters in each game. A total of 18 players found a place on the IR list this season. Consequently, only three teams have had to accept more points than Washington. The Run Defense was a major problem throughout the year. Unfortunately also the calendar: Of the 14 games played so far, eleven against teams that are still in playoff races. All eight defeats came against the same.

What remains this season? One thing seems clear. The future is determined by the question of cousins. You want to end the season with the feeling of being a growing and improving team. The Redskins have the chance in the last two games to show their cousins with a record of 8-8 and a positive feeling in the season-end spurt that they are closer to a playoff than a 6-10 team, and if they convince their cousins of a future in Washington, they will at least have the cards in their own hands when it comes to renewing the contract.

What’s the next step? The Redskins are a team in the rebuild and the question of whether cousins are the right man for the future has been buzzing around the team for years. It will also be a decisive topic in this off-season. Is cousins worth the lot of money that an extension would inevitably require, or not? Does the draft vintage have enough quality on the quarterback position to invest here, or is a third franchise day number 8 the right step to buy more time? And what does the Free Agency give you? Optimists take the name Drew Brees in their mouths. Eli Manning, Case Keenum or Andy Dalton seem more realistic.

Page 1: The Green Bay Packers and the Washington Redskins

Page 2: The Arizona Cardinals, the New York Jets and the Cincinnati Bengals