Panic Meter for Struggling NFL Teams Trying to Make it Back to the Playoffs

Several NFL teams that made the playoffs last year should be concerned about the way the 2022 season has unfolded thus far—one of those clubs kicked off Week 7 Thursday night.

Typically, teams that reach the postseason look to make a deeper run or defend a title reign in the following campaign. But every year, multiple clubs fail to make it back to the playoffs. Oftentimes, you can see the red flags early in the season with the loss of talent, roster or coaching changes that fall flat or the elevation of competition within a division.

We’ll highlight seven 2021 postseason clubs at .500 or below that have struggled because of the aforementioned circumstances and assess the level of panic around their chances of clinching a playoff berth in 2022.

Teams with tougher pathways back to the postseason will have a panic meter that rises close to 10, while squads likely to shake off a slow start are lower down the spectrum.

Our list doesn’t include the New England Patriots or Cincinnati Bengals. Both squads are 3-3 but gained momentum in recent weeks, with New England winning back-to-back games and Cincy taking three of their last four contests.

Before Thursday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, the Arizona Cardinals offense looked out of sorts, averaging 19 points per contest while ranking 22nd in scoring.

Head coach Kliff Kingsbury, who has an offensive pedigree, answered questions about the issues on that side of the ball and even talked about ceding play-calling duties.

Kyler Murray has said wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins won’t fix all of the team’s offensive issues, but he certainly provided a significant boost, hauling in 10 passes for 103 yards in a 42-34 victory over the Saints.

Though the Cardinals recorded pick-sixes on consecutive drives in the first half, they still had a strong offensive performance, reaching paydirt on three out of four red-zone trips, which is a notable improvement from their 50 percent touchdown rate inside the 20-yard line for the season.

Also, Arizona found some balance with its ground attack while starting running back James Conner (ribs) watched from the sideline. Eno Benjamin registered 12 carries for 92 yards and a touchdown. Fellow tailback Keaontay Ingram scored on a two-yard run.

Hopkins’ presence forces the opposing team to roll coverage and perhaps an extra defender over to his side of the formation. Now, his teammates should see more space in the open field. Once newly acquired (from the Carolina Panthers) speedy wideout Robbie Anderson acclimates himself to the offense, he could make big-play contributions downfield.

On Thursday, we saw the Cardinals play a complete game on both sides of the ball; the Saints piled on 10 points late in the contest to dress up the score.

With Hopkins on the field, Arizona quelled some concerns about its offense. Now, the club has to avenge a couple of division losses to the Seattle Seahawks and Los Angeles Rams. The Cardinals dug an early hole for themselves with a 2-4 start, which adds some difficulty to their pathway back to the playoffs, but the team looks like it's on the right track again.

They need to establish consistency, though—one game with two defensive touchdowns doesn't prove a team has turned the corner. Keep in mind this club has faded late in all three seasons with Kyler Murray under center.

Panic Meter: 4

Aaron Rodgers cannot sit in front of a mic and just say R-E-L-A-X this time. The Green Bay Packers have issues on both sides of the ball, and their special teams unit allowed a blocked field goal and a blocked punt to the New York Jets last week. This feels more like Y-I-K-E-S.

The Packers selected defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt and inside linebacker Quay Walker in the first round of the 2022 draft, but their front seven looks soft against the run, allowing the sixth-most rushing yards per game while giving up 4.9 yards per carry (ranked 25th). Green Bay has surrendered at least 125 rushing yards in five of its games this season.

On top of that, the Packers defense must rely on getting off the field on third down because they seldom force turnovers. Going into Week 7, they’re tied with the Miami Dolphins and Detroit Lions for the second-fewest takeaways.

Offensively, Green Bay has had to adjust without Davante Adams, who’s now a Las Vegas Raider, but they do have four pass-catchers with 219-plus receiving yards in Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Romeo Doubs and Robert Tonyan. Yet they’ve been careless with the football, turning it over eight times in six games, and their ground attack runs hot and cold with two viable ball-carriers in Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon. The latter averages just 3.9 yards per carry.

Fortunately for the Packers, they’re not in a stacked division, with the Chicago Bears (2-4) and Detroit Lions (1-4) behind them. In the NFC North, Green Bay (3-3) only looks up to the Minnesota Vikings (5-1), whom they lost to in Week 1.

With a four-time league MVP under center and several established names on defense such as Kenny Clark, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, De'Vondre Campbell and Jaire Alexander, the Packers have enough talent to turn their season around before it goes off the rails.

As the season progresses, offensive tackles David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins should perform a lot better as they get back into the groove from extended absences because of torn ACLs, which will strengthen Rodgers’ pass protection (he’s taken 15 sacks).

At worst, Green Bay will finish second in its division and clinch a wild-card spot.

Panic Meter: 3

This past offseason, the Las Vegas Raiders hired general manager Dave Ziegler and head coach Josh McDaniels to elevate a 10-7 playoff team. They acquired wideout Davante Adams from the Green Bay Packers, signed edge-rusher Chandler Jones and extended key players in quarterback Derek Carr, wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, tight end Darren Waller and edge-rusher Maxx Crosby.

With those splashy acquisitions and renewed commitment to top players on the roster, the Raiders have just one win to show for it.

Even though Waller and Renfrow have battled injuries, which partially explains why they have posted modest receiving numbers through six weeks, the offense still ranks sixth in scoring and 10th in total yards while averaging 5.8 yards per play (ninth leaguewide). Coming off a bye week, Josh Jacobs has the third-most rushing yards.

However, the Raiders struggle mightily in the most crucial area of the field on both sides of the ball—the red zone. Offensively, they’re ranked 25th in touchdown rate (47.4 percent) while giving up the highest touchdown rate on defense (82.4 percent).

McDaniels’ team doesn’t perform well in critical situations because of untimely penalties (a lot of those infractions committed by offensive linemen), miscommunication and poor execution. At times, players have dropped passes and run routes in the same area. Also, quarterback Derek Carr’s ball placement has been off at times, which factors into his 61.4 percent completion rate—a seven percent drop-off from last year.

Here's the silver lining and the potential season-long problem.

The Raiders have the offensive firepower to bounce back from a 1-4 start, but they’ll need to win high-scoring games because Crosby is by far the most consistent player on their defense.

For an edge-rusher with a three-year, $51 million deal, Jones underperformed before making some plays in the team’s last two games. The Raiders won’t have their top cornerback in Nate Hobbs for at least a month because he’s on injured reserve with a broken hand.

Vegas ranks 26th in pressure rate while giving up a 68.5 percent completion rate in coverage (fifth-worst). Without a consistent push up front and no top-tier defensive backs in the secondary, quarterbacks have successfully moved the ball through the air against the Raiders, and it could get worse without Hobbs.

In a division with the Kansas City Chiefs and Los Angeles Chargers, the Raiders have a narrow pathway to the playoffs and one way to get there—winning weekly scoring shootouts.

Panic Meter: 7

The Los Angeles Rams’ issues start in the trenches. The team lost talent up front and invested in roster holdovers, but that hasn’t worked out.

This past offseason, they lost right guard Austin Corbett to the Carolina Panthers in free agency, and left tackle Andrew Whitworth retired. The team signed Joe Noteboom to a multiyear extension to replace the latter, but he tore his Achilles tendon last week.

Center Brian Allen hasn’t played since Week 1 because he underwent a procedure on his knee. Right tackle Rob Havenstein, whom the team signed to a multiyear extension in September, has struggled in pass protection, allowing three sacks in six games, per Pro Football Focus.

Because of the Rams’ makeshift offensive line, quarterback Matthew Stafford has been under duress, taking 22 sacks, and he’s thrown some ill-advised passes. The 34-year-old signal-caller leads the league in interceptions with eight.

Furthermore, Los Angeles has struggled to run the ball, accumulating the second-fewest rushing yards while averaging just 3.4 yards per carry (ranked 31st). The team has to work something out with running back Cam Akers, who, according to head coach Sean McVay, needs a fresh start. On top of that, wide receiver Van Jefferson hasn’t played a snap while on the mend from offseason knee surgery.

Assuming Allen and Jefferson eventually return, they won’t fix all of the Rams’ issues. Los Angeles needs to make a trade for a high-end offensive lineman to address its problems. As for Akers’ possible replacement, The Athletic’s Jourdan Rodrigue thinks rookie fifth-round running back Kyren Williams could assume a “big role” once he’s back from ankle surgery.

General manager Les Snead isn’t afraid to make splashy trade deadline moves. Over the last three years, he’s acquired cornerback Jalen Ramsey and edge-rusher Von Miller in the months of October and November. Last November, the club also signed wideout Odell Beckham Jr.

The Rams are with three other three-win teams in the NFC West. Don’t count them out, but they need an acquisition for their offensive line.

Panic Meter: 5

Let’s make this short and sweet: The Pittsburgh Steelers probably won’t make it back to the playoffs in 2022. Wide receiver Diontae Johnson called this a “rebuilding year” for the club.

The Steelers have turned the offense over to rookie first-round quarterback Kenny Pickett, who moved the ball well in his first start, throwing for 327 yards and an interception but exited the next contest with a concussion. He threw for 67 yards and a touchdown before his Week 6 departure. The first-year signal-caller also has a couple of rushing touchdowns.

Though Pickett has shown flashes with his athleticism and ability to push the ball downfield, he’s going to experience rookie growing pains. The Steelers delayed that process when they named Mitch Trubisky the starter for the first four weeks of the season.

As Pickett learns on the job, he’s going to make mistakes that lead to losses, so Steelers fans should prepare for head coach Mike Tomlin’s first losing season.

Last week, the Steelers won their first game with edge-rusher T.J. Watt missing because of an injury in nine attempts since drafting him in 2017. In September, the team placed Watt on injured reserve with a torn pectoral muscle, and he recently underwent a knee scope, which may push back his return date.

With a rookie quarterback and a struggling defense that ranks 23rd in scoring and gives up the fourth-most yards per game heading into Week 7, the Steelers could finish last in the AFC North. In Week 1, they beat the now-resurgent Cincinnati Bengals but also lost 29-17 in Week 3 to the Jacoby Brissett-led Cleveland Browns.

The Steelers will be competitive if Pickett continues to move the ball, but they’re a six- or seven-win non-playoff team.

Panic Meter: 9

The San Francisco 49ers made the list among struggling teams because they have bad losses to the Chicago Bears, Denver Broncos and Atlanta Falcons.

Yes, the 49ers started second-year quarterback Trey Lance against the Bears, but that loss still goes down as an upset. Chicago has one of the league’s worst offenses, with the second-fewest points scored through six weeks.

San Francisco couldn’t beat the Broncos, who look out of sorts except on defense. Nonetheless, Denver has a 2-4 record with three consecutive losses going into Week 7.

Last week, the Falcons held the lead for most of their game with the shorthanded 49ers and won 28-14.

Well, San Francisco has help on the way with Christian McCaffrey coming from the Carolina Panthers via trade. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the All-Pro running back will likely contribute in the red zone against the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.

The 49ers may get more help on the way this weekend with players on the mend. Edge-rusher Nick Bosa (groin), left tackle Trent Williams (ankle) and cornerback Charvarius Ward (hand) practiced with limitations this week. With those starters back on the field, the 49ers should look closer to the dominant team that has outscored opponents 88-31 in its victories.

None of the teams in the NFC West have separated from the pack. In fact, the 49ers lead the division because they hold head-to-head tiebreakers over the Los Angeles Rams and Seattle Seahawks.

No reason to panic here. San Francisco still has its core roster players who’ve helped them make the playoffs in two of the last three seasons. On Thursday, they acquired one of the league's best dual-threat running backs who should fit right into a run-heavy, running back-centric system.

Panic Meter: 1

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have lost three of their last four games, but the team’s most recent defeat set off alarm bells.

In Week 6, the Pittsburgh Steelers upset the Buccaneers, knocking them off 20-18 with quarterback Mitch Trubisky taking over for rookie first-rounder Kenny Pickett (concussion) in the third quarter. Pittsburgh didn’t have two of its top defenders in edge-rusher T.J. Watt (torn pectoral/knee scope) and safety Minkah Fitzpatrick (knee). Yet the Buccaneers averaged just 4.5 yards per play and scored a touchdown on one out of four trips to the red zone.

Yes, the Buccaneers have dealt with a rash of injuries at offensive line and wide receiver, but Tampa Bay ranks 21st in red-zone touchdown percentage. They’ve consistently moved the ball through the air, ranking sixth in passing yards, but the coaching staff hasn’t been able to balance the offense with the ground attack.

Tampa Bay has the fewest rushing yards per game, which puts a lot of pressure on a 45-year-old quarterback who’s behind two first-year starting offensive linemen in rookie second-round guard Luke Goedeke and backup center Robert Hainsey.

Though the Buccaneers have scored 21 points or fewer in five out of six games, they’ve allowed just 20 points or fewer in five outings. As a defensive-minded head coach, Todd Bowles knows how to win low-scoring slugfests.

The Buccaneers won’t be able to muddy up every game, especially against teams with top-tier quarterbacks, but their defense is good enough to get them back to the playoffs in a bad division. They've beaten the New Orleans Saints and Atlanta Falcons, who hold a record tie with them. The Carolina Panthers have one win, an interim head coach and more assets to trade as the team compiles draft picks for a roster rebuild.

Panic Meter: 2

Maurice Moton covers the NFL for Bleacher Report. You can follow him on Twitter @MoeMoton.