With teams like the New England Patriots, Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers reigning over their respective divisions through the first five weeks of the season, many of the same teams that are stalwarts in the postseason are still dominating in 2015.
6 NFL teams that went from playoffs to pathetic in just 9 months
Some of the top teams in the NFL from 2014 are struggling to get going just one year later.
Not all teams have been able to carry over their previous success into 2015 after making playoff runs in 2014, though. The NFL's only winless team, the Detroit Lions, earned an NFC wild card berth just a year ago and have already matched their five losses from 2014.
If the playoffs began today, seven of the 12 teams that earned a spot in the 2014 postseason would be in again in 2015, but five teams would be on the outside looking in.
The down-and-outs
Lions (0-5) (11-5 in 2014; lost in NFC Wild Card round)
With 15 turnovers, including six against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday and a fumble that cost the Lions a win over the Seattle Seahawks, the team can't stay out of its own way. Still, even if an illegal bat was called, the Lions' struggles go beyond bad luck.
After finishing No. 2 in defense and No. 19 in offense in 2014, the Lions are near the bottom of the NFL in both categories. The Lions are 30th in points scored, and even sent Matthew Stafford to the bench in favor of Dan Orlovsky during a beatdown at the hands of the Cardinals. While Stafford will almost certainly get his starting job back for Week 6, he now leads the NFL in interceptions.
This is far from the 2008 Lions team that finished 0-16, but it would need a miraculous turnaround to even finish with a respectable record.
Ravens (1-4) (10-6 in 2014; lost in AFC Divisional round)
All five games for the Ravens have been decided by a touchdown or less, and with the No. 10 scoring offense, there's still time for the team to turn things around. It's almost definitely too late to earn the AFC North crown, though. The Cincinnati Bengals are off to their best start in almost three decades, while the Ravens are already four games back.
The best hope for Baltimore would be to string together enough wins to contend for the wild card. But with a defense that went from the top 10 to the bottom 10 of the NFL and is missing some its starters -- like Terrell Suggs and Matt Elam -- that’s a huge uphill climb.
Cowboys (2-3) (12-4 in 2014; lost in NFC Divisional round)
The Cowboys are one game away from being the leaders of the NFC East, so calling them down-and-out is a little harsh, but even with Dez Bryant soon to return, it's difficult to imagine Brandon Weeden keeping the team in the playoff hunt while Tony Romo heals up.
Dating back to his time with the Cleveland Browns, Weeden has an 11-game losing streak as a starter. Weeden's best performance with the Cowboys came in the first half against the Atlanta Falcons, but since then, things have slowly gone from decent to poor, and the quarterback could be benched for Matt Cassel soon, who doesn't inspire much hope either.
The Dallas offense has declined in each week of the season and unless a Week 6 bye allows the team to figure things out, a fourth consecutive loss in a Week 7 road game against the New York Giants could put the Cowboys in a hole they can't dig out of.
Still hanging on
Seahawks (2-3) (12-4 in 2014; lost in Super Bowl)
Two of the three losses for the Seahawks came in road games against two teams that are still undefeated, and Seattle has led in the fourth quarter of all five games this year. While that presents some concerns about the team’s ability to close out wins, it also suggests this still a Seahawks team that can compete with the NFL’s elite.
If Calvin Johnson hadn't fumbled a foot from the goal line we would be looking at 4 blown leads by the Seattle defense. Something is missing
— Tony Dungy (@TonyDungy) October 12, 2015 There are legitimate problems for the Seahawks, who haven't done a good job protecting Russell Wilson and don't have the NFL's top defense for the first time since 2011. Still, two wins is enough to keep the Seahawks in the wild card race in the NFC and there's plenty of time for the team to battle back to a winning record.
Steelers (2-2) (11-5 in 2014; lost in AFC Wild Card round)
Like the Ravens, it's difficult to imagine any AFC North team keeping up with the Bengals, and it's going to be especially tough for the Steelers without Ben Roethlisberger. On Monday night, Michael Vick will have a chance to lead Pittsburgh to an upset win over the San Diego Chargers, but even if he can't pull it off, the Steelers aren't toast.
There’s a tough schedule on the horizon, but the Steelers are No. 7 in points allowed and still have Roethlisberger on the way back to lead an explosive offense. Vick just needs to do enough to keep the Steelers in striking range in the mean time.
Colts (3-2) (11-5 in 2014; lost in AFC Championship)
No other team in the AFC South has even one win, so it looks like the Colts are ready to walk into yet another divisional crown, despite plenty of problems. The Indianapolis defense is one of the NFL's worst, Andrew Luck is still battling back from injury, but wasn't playing well even when healthy and running the ball hasn't been easy either.
The only wins for the Colts have been against AFC South teams, and if those victories are enough to hold on to the top spot in the worst division in the league, it doesn’t bode well for their chances in the playoffs. A litmus test for the Colts’ ability to hang with elite teams will come in Week 6 when they play host to the Patriots, the team that dominated Indianapolis in the AFC Championship in January.
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