Three weeks into the NFL season, the 0-3 teams are already living in the danger zone. There’s no hiding it now.
Some clubs are getting dragged down by bad coaching, some by busted rosters, and some by quarterbacks who just aren’t holding up their end of the bargain. In a few cases, it’s all of the above.
Here’s a look at what’s gone wrong for each of the five winless teams and where the blame lands.
The Houston Texans have been hit from multiple angles, but injuries and the offensive line are doing the most damage. Nico Collins going down with a hamstring injury in practice has, well, hamstrung the Texans' offense over the last two weeks against the Bengals and Colts.
C.J. Stroud hasn’t looked nearly the same as he did in Week 1 against the Bills, and Houston’s reshuffled offensive line is still not getting the job done.
Stroud has been pressured on over 38% of his dropbacks, and the Texans have averaged a mere 1.4 yards before contact per rush, according to Tru Media. They’ve been even worse after contact, with the David Montgomery/Woody Marks duo ranking 22nd in avoided-tackle rate and 31st in yards after contact per attempt.
The schedule hasn’t helped - Buffalo, Cincinnati and then Indianapolis is a rough opening stretch - but that alone doesn’t explain 0-3. Houston also can’t lean too hard on the defense as an excuse. It was lit up by Josh Allen and Co. in Week 1, and if the Texans had closed that game out, they could be sitting at 1-2 instead.
The Los Angeles Chargers, meanwhile, have looked like a mess from top to bottom. Coaching gets the biggest slice of the blame because the operation has been sloppy in every phase.
They lead the NFL with 10 false start penalties, and only six other teams have more than five. They’re second in the league with seven fumbles, even after recovering five of them, and one of those came when the center snapped the ball directly into the motion man.
This doesn’t look like a team that’s organized or sharp. The offense has only been credited with four drops, though Quentin Johnston feels like he may have that many by himself. The run game isn’t going anywhere, offensive coordinator Mike McDaniel keeps calling runs anyway, the line looks off, and Justin Herbert hasn’t been able to rise above the problems around him.
The defense hasn’t been clean either. It has survived in part by forcing turnovers - 17.1% of opponent drives have ended with a giveaway, per Tru Media - but that number is inflated by Buffalo’s five turnovers on Sunday. The Chargers haven’t been getting enough stops, haven’t forced many three-and-outs, have allowed opponents an average of four red-zone trips per week, and even gave up a free first down with a holding penalty on second-and-26 against the Bills.
The Miami Dolphins’ issue is simpler and uglier: they just don’t have enough talent. That was pretty clear entering the season after they moved on from so many of their best players in the offseason. They’re in the rebuilding stage and are barely trying to win, whether they say that out loud or not.
Now the roster is even thinner on offense with De'Von Achane out for the year with a torn ACL. A 0-17 season is firmly on the table.
Tampa Bay’s problem has been a little more layered, but the offense is the main culprit. Baker Mayfield and Co. are 29th in Tru Media's version of success rate and dead last in EPA per play.
Mayfield is down to 6.4 yards per attempt with only two touchdown passes and two interceptions through three weeks, and he has already taken a league-high 13 sacks. The offensive line has been underwhelming, and Mayfield has also been bailing from clean pockets whenever his first read isn’t there.
That has left the Buccaneers looking disjointed and stilted. Bucky Irving has provided some explosive runs in the first two weeks, but even that came with a cost - he was part of the Bucs' FOUR Week 1 fumbles against the Bengals. The defense has been better than the offense, but not nearly enough better to make up for the disappointing return on Tampa Bay’s defensive investment.
Then there’s Tennessee, where the blame is split almost perfectly three ways. Coaching gets one-third, lack of talent gets one-third, and quarterback play gets the final third.
The Titans hiring Robert Saleh and Brian Daboll as head coach and offensive coordinator, respectively, probably should have raised a red flag. Three weeks in, it looks like one.
Their offseason spending spree also looks shaky because Tennessee added money without landing any true game-changing players. And Cam Ward has been brutal.
Like last year, he is not hitting the layups that form the foundation of solid quarterback play. Unlike last year, he is not making any spectacular plays to make up for it.
It’s really bad in Tennessee.
In Other News...
Jim Harbaugh Just Turned Up The Pressure On Justin Herbert
After the Chargers 24-16 loss to the Bills, Jim Harbaugh did something he rarely does in public: he put the spotlight squarely on Justin Herbert. Harbaugh also made sure to note the coaching staff shares responsibility for the offenses sluggish start, but his message was plain enough. Herbert needs to be better, and the Chargers need a sharper return from a quarterback who has opened the season with more interceptions than touchdowns and a low completion percentage.
Herbert did not push back. He accepted responsibility for the offenses performance and said the turnaround begins with him, which at least keeps the conversation pointed in one direction for now. For a team trying to settle its identity under Harbaugh, the tension is obvious: the coach is demanding more from his quarterback, and the quarterback knows the next step has to come from his own play. [Read more 🡒]
Harbaughs Biggest Chargers Problem Is Starting To Cost Them
The Chargers are off to a frustrating 0-3 start, and the strange part is that the defense has given them chances to change the script. In Sundays loss, the unit forced five turnovers, a number that usually should be enough to tilt a game in your favor, but the offense could not turn those takeaways into enough points to make them matter.
What has started to draw the most scrutiny is Jim Harbaughs decision-making on fourth down. Several conservative calls ended in field goal attempts instead of a more aggressive approach that some analytics models favored, and a later fourth-and-10 try from their own 45-yard line failed and handed the opponent momentum at a pivotal moment. For a team already searching for traction, those choices are becoming part of the story. [Read more 🡒]
Quentin Johnston Puts Chargers Fans Back In A Tough Spot
Sean Payton had plenty to unpack after Denvers fourth-quarter comeback, but for Chargers fans the more familiar concern came from the other sideline chatter. Quentin Johnston owned up to a costly drop in a recent loss, a reminder of how quickly a single miscue can tilt a game and reopen old doubts about the offenses reliability in tight moments.
Johnston said he understands how difficult those moments can be, and for Los Angeles thats what makes the conversation linger. The Chargers have spent enough time trying to steady themselves through uneven stretches that every missed chance gets magnified, especially when a receiver with Johnstons role is involved and the margin for error keeps shrinking. [Read more 🡒]