1 Reason Why Preseason Contenders Are Fading from NFL Playoff Chase

When the 2022 NFL season kicked off, about a dozen teams in both the AFC and NFC looked like legitimate playoff hopefuls.

Six of those contenders have quickly discovered their year might end in the regular season.

Most notably, the reigning champion Los Angeles Rams and NFC North power Green Bay Packers have struggled. The same goes for the Arizona Cardinals, Denver Broncos, Indianapolis Colts and Las Vegas Raiders, all of whom had legitimate playoff aspirations when the season began.

Heading into Week 10, all six are soundly on the outside of the playoff picture. None of them have managed more than three wins.

Although a number of things may have contributed to each team's decline, let's explore the biggest factor hampering all six.

Through nine games, the Arizona Cardinals have surrendered the opening score in eight of them. One trend does not explain the entirety of the their issues, but this tendency has been a problematic tone-setter.

As if that isn't disappointing enough, all eight of those opponents put up points on their initial possession. The opening drives have resulted in a combined 44-16 deficit for Arizona.

The lone team to not score on its first possession, the Carolina Panthers, happened to fire its head coach one week later.

The Cardinals' offense is unimaginative, which is a damning sign for head coach Kliff Kingsbury's future in Arizona. However, the greater issue is that Kingsbury and his staff are getting outcoached from the opening whistle.

Kingsbury signed a contract extension this offseason that runs through 2027, but his future in Arizona is highly uncertain at best.

Former All-Pro quarterback Russell Wilson has struggled badly in his debut season with the Denver Broncos. Thanks to its excellent defense, though, Denver has been consistently competitive.

No matter how poorly the offense has played, the 3-5 Broncos have had a chance to win every game because of their defense. However, the offense has had a variety of breakdowns in key moments.

During the season-opening loss to the Seattle Seahawks, first-year head coach Nathaniel Hackett made the controversial decision to attempt a 64-yard field goal instead of attempt a 4th-and-5. Kicker Brandon McManus missed it, allowing Seattle to escape with a one-point victory.

In Week 5, the Broncos lost a horrific game—at home, in overtime—to the Indianapolis Colts because of a red-zone interception and a turnover on downs at the 5-yard line. The next week, Denver had a pair of three-and-outs in an overtime loss to the Los Angeles Chargers.

Those were three particularly devastating losses. Flip the results of even two of those winnable games, and the Broncos would be 5-3.

On the Green Bay Packers' first offensive play of the season, Aaron Rodgers dropped back and launched an inch-perfect pass to Christian Watson. The rookie dropped a should-be touchdown.

It's hard to say the season has improved much from there.

Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers deserves a good portion of the blame, as he's averaging a career-worst 6.6 yards per attempt. The two-time reigning MVP's accuracy has decreased sharply, and his interception rate has nearly tripled from 0.8 last season to 2.2 this year.

Green Bay never adequately replaced Davante Adams in its receiving corps, and injuries haven't helped. Allen Lazard, Randall Cobb, Sammy Watkins and Watson have all missed time, and rookie Romeo Doubs is now sidelined for a month with a high ankle sprain.

Health issues have also hampered the offensive line, which has blocked well in the running game but less so otherwise.

The result is a 3-6 squad desperate to shake a five-game losing streak. But considering their mounting injuries on defense as well, the Packers are in real danger of missing the playoffs.

If you'd like to assign a heavier share of blame to a specific offensive unit, that's fine. But the Indianapolis Colts' entire scoring attack has lacked the "attack" part.

Through nine weeks, the 3-5-1 Colts are 30th in the NFL with 4.8 yards per play and last leaguewide at 14.7 points per game.

Heading into Week 8, the Colts benched veteran quarterback Matt Ryan, whom they acquired this past offseason to settle a revolving door at the position. Rookie Sam Ehlinger hasn't fared any better in Ryan's place, though.

Indianapolis' offensive line has become a sieve, surrendering a league-high 35 sacks. Star running back Jonathan Taylor, who's missed a few games because of an ankle injury, hasn't found as many running lanes behind that distressed O-line.

The Colts fired offensive coordinator Marcus Brady after Week 8 and axed head coach Frank Reich on Monday. They appear to be barreling straight toward a rebuild.

If the Las Vegas Raiders start quickly, they fade in the second half. If they close strong, that typically follows a lackluster opening half.

Sometimes, it's the offense. Other times, the defense is to blame. And in the worst games, it's both.

Las Vegas trailed by 14 against the Los Angeles Chargers and Tennessee Titans, only for a spirited comeback effort to fall short. In between those two losses, the Raiders squandered a 20-point halftime lead in an overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals.

After their lone complete win of 2022 against the Denver Broncos, the Raiders blew 17-point leads against the Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars, needed a fourth-quarter comeback to beat the lowly Houston Texans and got shut out by New Orleans Saints.

For about 30 minutes each week, Las Vegas is a competitive—maybe even impressive—team. The other 30, well...the 2-6 Raiders would rather not talk about those.

The Los Angeles Rams are proving this year that it's hard to win in the NFL when you don't score enough points.

The defending Super Bowl champions averaged 27.1 points per game last year, but they're down to 16.4 this season. They've scored 10, nine, 10, 14 and 13 points, respectively in their five losses to date.

Unless the Rams' defense transforms into the second coming of the 2000 Baltimore Ravens, they aren't likely to steal wins on a consistent basis.

While the Rams' defense isn't overwhelming, it's decent. They have the second-best red-zone touchdown rate allowed and rank 12th in yards per snap. The problem is that the offense presents no threat other than Cooper Kupp.

The Rams are averaging the second-fewest yards per game on the ground behind their injury-marred offensive line. Wide receiver Allen Robinson II, their key free-agent signing, has hardly made a splash. Quarterback Matthew Stafford has performed nowhere close to the level that he did last season.

Head coach Sean McVay, who rose to prominence with his creativity and flexibility, has found no solutions for this ailing offense. As a result, the Rams are perilously close to joining the unenviable list of Super Bowl champions that missed the playoffs the following season.