After six weeks of NFL action, there are some teams who just don’t have a prayer of turning their dismal seasons around.
Whether their struggles are due to injuries, poor performances, a lack of talent or overall bad luck, they just don’t have what it takes to win more than a handful of games in 2015.
Many believe Cal quarterback Jared Goff could end up as the top player of the 2016 NFL Draft, and losing teams almost always need a quarterback. With that in mind, here are five teams who should consider throwing in the towel for a shot at the overall No. 1 pick in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Kansas City Chiefs (1-5) are a lost cause without Jamaal Charles
Kansas City started out the season with one win, but that was over five dreary weeks ago for Andy Reid’s team, which sit five behind the division-leading Denver Broncos.
Things have turned from bad to worse with the loss of Jamaal Charles, who served as the catalyst for the offense. Unfortunately, an ACL tear ended Charles’ season prematurely in Week 5. Since playing a full game without Charles, the Chiefs’ attempt at a run game with Charcandrick West and Knile Davis unfortunately fell short. There’s no replacing a stud like Charles, who was the team’s best play maker.
So, let’s face it. The Chiefs’ offense is in disarray with an under-performing Alex Smith under center. Additionally, the defense is not stopping anyone, ranking 24th overall in the NFL. Therefore, the Chiefs should go for broke and target a top quarterback prospect, such as California’s Jared Goff or Michigan State’s Connor Cook in the 2016 NFL Draft.
Baltimore Ravens (1-5) just can’t win without talent
The Baltimore Ravens are putting up points and Joe Flacco is passing for massive amounts of yardage, yet his interceptions, along with a struggling defense, are preventing the team from posting wins. Already five games back of the Cincinnati Bengals, the season is over.
The Ravens have dealt with their fair share of injuries, and the loss of their long-time pass rusher Terrell Suggs crippled the defense. Baltimore is having a difficult time holding onto leads they have established, letting everything fly out the window in the fourth quarter. For a team that has been a steady figure in the postseason, the Ravens current state of doom is quite puzzling.
Suggs at 33, is not likely to return in tip-top shape after sustaining his second torn Achilles tendon, so it would make sense to focus on the future and perhaps target an eventual replacement, like perhaps Joey Bosa out of Ohio State.
Jacksonville Jaguars (1-5) might have better draft luck in 2016
Quarterback Blake Bortles is a machine. He churns out tons of production that unfortunately goes along with a bunch of terrible turnovers, which is ultimately hurting the Jaguars.
Protection is a serious issue for Bortles, who has been sacked 19 times this season. Therefore, a replacement at left tackle for former 2013 first round pick Luke Joeckel should be the primary focus next draft.
Sadly, the Jags have a knack for picking first-round draft picks who cannot stay healthy. They might as well tank it right now, hope for better luck and set their eyes on next year’s draft, because their status at the bottom of the AFC south is not likely to improve.
Houston Texans (2-4) need to wise up and focus on a franchise quarterback
If nobody has figured it out by now, the Houston Texans need to set their goal on finding a future franchise quarterback.
The Texans have been using an array of ineffective quarterbacks for the last three seasons and currently have 25 losses versus 13 wins over this stretch of time. And, while the Texans’ current quarterbacks play efficiently for a game or two, we know a change of guard could be coming at any time when said quarterback chokes or gets injured.
Just imagine how much more productive wide receiver DeAndre Hopkins and the Texans offense would be if ultimately they wound up playing with a solid franchise quarterback a couple of years down the road. At this point, the Texans are just getting by with the Brian Hoyer and the pouting Ryan Mallett tag-team show.
Sour Rankings: Mallett's pouting and Pierce's blocking lead the Week 5's worst http://t.co/4zHYtqrRII pic.twitter.com/B4hEmIIP2i
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) October 13, 2015
Washington (2-4) must find a cure for quarterback woes
Washington is very adamant about sticking with turnover-prone Kirk Cousins under center while they keep Colt McCoy at an arm’s distance as backup and Robert Griffin III practically locked in the broom closet.
With Cousins starting this year, Washington sports a lowly 2-4 record and has sunk to the bottom of its very competitive NFC east division. At this point in time, it will be hard to turn things around and push up in ranking, especially once the Dallas Cowboys get Tony Romo and Dez Bryant back on the field.
It’s absolutely ridiculous to keep starting Cousins, who has 27 interceptions stemming from only 228 passing attempts, versus RG3, who has 23 interceptions on 1,063 passing attempts. If Griffin is indeed done in Washington, then the team might as well throw in the towel, beat the other quarter-back needy teams to the punch and target one of the top draft candidates in the upcoming draft…again.