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Mike Fanelli determines which five NFL teams had the most disappointing 2023 season. Which NFL teams failed to reach expectations this year?
The 2023 NFL regular season is in the rearview mirror. While we still have to see who will win Super Bowl LVIII and take home the Lombardi Trophy, it’s time to look back at the regular season and what went wrong.
There were many disappointing teams this year. Injuries played a massive role in some teams failing to meet expectations. However, injuries weren’t the only reason some teams failed to meet their preseason hype.
Let’s rank the top five most disappointing NFL teams from the 2023 season.
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Cincinnati Bengals
The Bengals have been one of the more successful teams since drafting Joe Burrow in 2020. They reached the Super Bowl in his second season and lost in the AFC Championship Game last year. Therefore, everyone rightfully had high expectations for Cincinnati this season. Unfortunately, the team got off to a rough start. Burrow suffered a calf injury early in training camp, setting up a year of struggles for the superstar quarterback.
Despite being ready to play in Week 1, the former LSU star struggled. He had only two passing touchdowns and two interceptions over the three weeks. More importantly, the Bengals started the season with a 1-3 record, including a 24-point blowout loss to the Tennessee Titans. The team went on a four-game winning streak after the slow start, with wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Buffalo Bills.
Unfortunately, their season took a turn for the worse in Week 11. Cincinnati lost to the Baltimore Ravens, 34-20. They also lost Burrow to a season-ending wrist injury. Jake Browning played well as the starter despite no previous NFL experience. The former Washington star completed 70.4% of his pass attempts for 1,936 yards and 12 touchdowns. While he did his best to keep the Bengals in the playoff race, the team lost two of their final three games and missed the postseason for the first time since 2020.
Los Angeles Chargers
Many had high hopes for the Chargers after they made the playoffs in 2022. However, things didn’t go according to plan. Los Angeles lost back-to-back games to start the year to the Miami Dolphins and Tennessee Titans by five points. While they had a two-game winning streak heading into the Week 5 bye, the Chargers lost Mike Williams to a season-ending injury in their first win this season.
Despite having two weeks to prepare for the Dallas Cowboys in Week 6, the team couldn’t get the win at home. While they won two of their next three games, they came against two of the worst teams in the NFL. Unfortunately, the season went downhill from there. The Chargers lost eight of their final nine games. Their only victory after Week 9 came over the New England Patriots, winning 6-0.
While the team’s playoff hopes were thin, Los Angeles was still in the mix until Justin Hebert suffered a season-ending fractured finger in the Week 14 loss to the Denver Broncos. The Chargers got embarrassed four days later, losing 63-21 to the Las Vegas Raiders. Owner Dean Spanos fired head coach head coach Brandon Staley and general manager Tom Telesco following the loss. The only silver lining for the team is that they recently hired Jim Harbaugh as their new head coach.
Miami Dolphins
Miami made the playoffs in 2022 in Mike McDaniel’s first year as the head coach, despite dealing with multiple injuries at the quarterback position. When they started the 2023 season with an offensive explosion win over the Los Angeles Chargers, many thought the Dolphins could win the Super Bowl. While they got blown out in Week 4 by the Buffalo Bills, Miami started the year winning five of their first six games.
However, they didn’t beat a team with a winning record until their 22-20 victory over the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16. Despite controlling their fate and having a chance to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, the Dolphins collapsed over the final two weeks this season. They could have had the top seed with a win over the Baltimore Ravens in Week 17 but lost 56-19, as the offense and defense had arguably their worst performance of the year.
The Dolphins needed to defeat the Bills in Week 18 to have the No. 2 seed in the playoffs. Unfortunately, they could not get over the hump and defeat their division rivals, losing to Buffalo for the second time in 2023. Miami lost 26-7 to the Kansas City Chiefs in the first round of the playoffs. While some believe the team should move on from Tua Tagovailoa, the team is determined to sign him to a long-term extension.
Jacksonville Jaguars
Last year, the Jaguars won the AFC South title for the first time since 2017. Then, they pulled off a massive comeback win over the Los Angeles Chargers before nearly defeating the eventual Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs. After adding Calvin Ridley in the offseason, many thought Jacksonville could come away with the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs. Instead, the team’s offense struggled to click the star wide receiver.
Ridley started the year on fire, totaling eight receptions on 11 targets for 101 receiving yards and a touchdown in the Week 1 win over the Indianapolis Colts, all team highs. However, he was hit or miss the rest of the season. Yet, the team started the year winning six of their first eight games, including a massive victory over the Buffalo Bills in Week 5. However, they fell apart after the bye week.
Jacksonville lost six of their final nine games. They won only one contest over the final six weeks, defeating the Carolina Panthers in Week 17. Despite collapsing since the bye week, the Jaguars could still win the AFC South title and make the playoffs with a win over the Tennessee Titans in Week 18. Yet, they allowed Derrick Henry to run all over them, resulting in an awful 28-20 loss.
Philadelphia Eagles
Many picked the Eagles to win the NFC for the second consecutive season. The team nearly defeated the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl last year, as they had an elite offense and defense. Philadelphia had 32 rushing touchdowns on offense and 70 sacks on defense in 2022, both ranking first in the NFL. Unfortunately, they severely regressed in both areas this season. The Eagles saw their rushing touchdown total drop by 10, while they had 27 fewer sacks than last year.
Defensively, the team struggled in the second half this season, surrendering 30.9 points per game over their final seven regular season games. Despite controlling their fate to the No. 1 seed in the NFC, Philadelphia lost six of their final seven games, with their lone win coming over the New York Giants in Week 16. More importantly, their defense had no answer for Baker Mayfield in the playoffs, giving up over 330 passing yards and three touchdowns in the loss.
While the defense completely collapsed in the second half, so did the offense. Jalen Hurts had at least one passing touchdown in nine consecutive games to begin the year. However, he had zero passing touchdowns in four of the final six games, totaling more than one only once. Meanwhile, A.J. Brown completely disappeared, totaling 56 or fewer receiving yards in three of his final four games. Hopefully, Kellen Moore can turn this offense around in 2024.
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