Time to Panic?

Around the NFL, we are now entering the second quarter of the season, and there are still four winless teams. Recently, Dan did a ‘panic button’ for fantasy players, so here’s my take on NFL teams that could use a panic button. In addition to the four winless teams (49ers, Bills, Lions, Panthers), there are a few other teams with some serious (and less serious) issues.

San Francisco 49ers (0-4) 4^th NFC West – 23^rd Overall Offense; 21^st Overall Defense

The 49ers are the NFL’s biggest disappointment in 2010. Dan and I predicted them to go at least ten wins, and now it seems they might struggle to stay under ten losses. They have been unable to score points, with an average of 13 points per game, good for 31^st in the league. QB Alex Smith is under the microscope, and RB Frank Gore hasn’t shown off his talent yet this season.

Concern Level: 65%

Carolina Panthers (0-4) 4^th NFC South – 30^th Overall Offense; 18^th Overall Defense

After the departure of QB Jake Delhomme, the Panthers are having some trouble with their two youngsters at the helm (Matt Moore and rookie Jimmy Clausen). The running game was fairly stagnant for a while, and Clausen is finally gaining some rapport with his receivers. A win at New Orleans was in reach last week, so there’s a chance for this team to escape the division basement.

Concern Level: 50%

Buffalo Bills (0-4) 4^th AFC East – 32^nd Overall Offense; 27^th Overall Defense

The Bills… There’s not much to say here, as I recall my grandparents’ warnings as a young boy (If you have nothing nice to say, say nothing at all). Check the numbers above. They’re being gashed by the run and sputtering on offense, too. GM Buddy Nix just requested patience from fans during this ‘painful’ rebuilding phase. Ha.

Concern Level: 80%

Detroit Lions (0-4) 4^th NFC North – 15^th Overall Offense; 26^th Overall Defense

Of the four winless teams, Detroit has the most upside. They’ve been within 5 points in three of their games, and played extremely tough against the Packers in Week 4. After losing starting QB Matthew Stafford early, backup Shaun Hill is looking decent, finally hooking up with Calvin Johnson this past week.

Concern Level: 40%

Arizona Cardinals (2-2) 1^st NFC West – 31^st Overall Offense; 29^th Overall Defense

A division leader with bottom 4 overall stats…? Yeah, we’ve got some problems out in the desert. The Cards have pulled QB Derek Anderson after the first game without an offensive touchdown during head coach Ken Whisenhunt’s tenure. Now with Max Hall at the helm, the Cards look, well, no better.

Concern Level: 50%

Indianapolis Colts (2-2) 3^rd AFC South – 3^rd Overall Offense; 24^th Overall Defense

The Colts are currently standing at 0-2 in their division, which is news to us watching football for the past, say, 10 years. The Texans and Jags have both defeated the Colts, and the defense, which I highly praised early this season, has been a major disappointment, with injuries starting to stack up. Offensively, #18 will be fine with whoever is around him, especially if RB Joseph Addai keeps up his recent good play.

Concern Level: 25%

New England Patriots (3-1) 2^nd AFC East – 11^th Overall Offense; 28^th Overall Defense

I only put the Pats on this list because of the Randy Moss trade. I don’t agree that they are winning games without him, because he doesn’t need to touch the ball to draw double-teams, freeing Wes Welker and Aaron Hernandez up in short routes. I don’t think they’ll suffer much, but the Pats must put up offensive production immediately following this bye week.

Concern Level: 15%