Every year, the 32 teams enter the season with different expectations. Some teams end the season having exceeded expectations like the Houston Texans. Some teams meet expectations and are perennial contenders like the San Francisco 49ers and Kansas City Chiefs. However, there are a few teams that fail to meet expectations. So before we head into the playoffs, we decided to look back on the regular season and determine who were the five most disappointing teams in the 2023 regular season. Some will say the New York Jets and Carolina Panthera should be on this list, but one team suffered a freak injury to their superstar veteran quarterback, and the other had a first-round pick join a bad organization and endured a brutal rookie season. Instead, we will focus on teams that had real expectations at the start of the season and never really had unfavorable circumstances that prevented them from meeting them.
5. New England Patriots-unlike the four teams ahead of them, the Patriots did not make the playoffs last season, but a few analysts had this team potentially challenging for a wildcard spot. Instead, the Patriots had a disastrous season by finishing with a 4-13 record and dead last in the AFC Conference. The Patriots were a disappointment because their offense scored single digits in 5 games and lost by double digits by the same number. The Patriots are so bad on offense that they are tied for last with the Carolina Panthers with 13.9 points. The unit was expected to improve with the return of Bill O’Brien, but they got worse. Mac Jones went from a stellar rookie season to the bench in his third year after a touchdown touchdown-to-interception ratio of 10:12. The future of legendary coach Bill Belichick is to be determined by Owner Robert Kraft, and after nabbing the number 3 pick, it would not be a surprise if he cleans house by cutting ties with the staff and moving players on the roster.
4. Denver Broncos- in March 2022, the Broncos ushered in a new era when they traded three players and four draft picks to the Seattle Seahawks to acquire Russell Wilson. The Broncos had a disappointing 2022 season by finishing with a 5-12 record and last place in the AFC West. After the season, the team decided to move on from coach Nathaniel Hackett by hiring Sean Payton. There were expectations that Wilson and Payton could be the tandem to challenge the Kansas City Chiefs in the division. Instead, the team struggled out of the gate by going 1-5 in their first five games. The team struggled defensively in giving up 70 points to the Miami Dolphins. Wilson would rally the team by winning 6 of the next eight games to push them into contention for a wild card spot. However, a backbreaking loss to the New England Patriots at home knocked them out of contention for the playoffs. Despite the loss, Wilson was playing much better by completing 64.7 of his passes for 3,070 yards, 26 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. However, the Broncos management decided to sit Wilson for the last two games and signal the clear intention of cutting the player in the offseason. Yes, a messy divorce is on the horizon in Mile High City.
3. New York Giants- Brian Daboll and the Giants were one of the top stories in 2022 after shocking the football world by making a playoff run at 9-7-1. Most analysts felt the team could build on the positive year by making further strides and potentially a deep run in the playoffs. Instead, the team regressed in its performances. The management appeared to lose the locker room when they failed on an agreement with Saquon Barkley, who later relented by signing a 1-year deal. The team struggled at the outset of the season by losing 4 of the first five games by an average of 24 points. The team lost any hope of playoff contention when they lost Daniel Jones to an ACL tear requiring 8 to 10 months of recovery. Despite Tyrod Taylor and Tommy DeVito, the Giants failed to compete in most games in 2023, and Brian Daboll finds him likely on the hot seat.
2. Los Angeles Chargers-with Justin Herbert under center, it feels the Chargers can challenge every season for the Super Bowl. The 2022 season was disastrous because the team suffered an epic collapse by losing a 27-0 lead on the road against the Jacksonville Jaguars on wild card weekend. The team looked poised to rebound through more hunger and better focus. However, the team lost three straight games following a low-scoring 6-0 victory over the New England Patriots. The team lost Herbert to an injury in that period, and the team fired Head Coach, Brandon Staley after an embarrassing 42-point beatdown in a game where his defense gave up 63 points. Herbert will be back under center, and the question is who will be his coach when he returns because time is running out on whether management can convince him they can provide a winning formula around him.
1. Jacksonville Jaguars- the Jaguars division win and later miraculous comeback at home against the Chargers made fans optimistic that this team could be one of the top seeds in the conference. However, the Jaguars showed their inconsistencies throughout the season. The season started well, and the team climbed to a 8-3 record in leading the division. However, the team collapsed by losing 5 of their next six games to fall out of the playoffs. The team could make excuses that Trevor Lawrence was not healthy a few games, but almost every team could say that their starting quarterback did not play every game in the season. Yet, the Jaguars had the chance to clinch the division if they defeated the 5-11 Tennessee Titans in their final game. Instead, the Titans dominated them and knocked them out through a tremendous goalline stand. The Jaguars will have to lick their wound, but with Trevor Lawrence at the helm, the future is always bright in Duval County.