5 NFL Teams That Should be Worried After Week 5: Sorry Steelers
Grant White
Host · Writer
Cincinnati Bengals
There's still time for the Cincinnati Bengals to turn things around, but at this point, we don't think they can. The Bengals have been supremely out-classed at every turn this season, and that was plainly evident in Sunday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
With less than six minutes to play, Cincinnati appeared to have a comfortable 10-point lead. However, the Bengals blundered that by allowing the Ravens to score on their two ensuing drives while also missing a crucial fourth-quarter field goal.
When all appeared lost in overtime, the Bengals defense forced Lamar Jackson into a fumble, setting up a game-winning field goal well within Evan McPherson's range. Instead, Ryan Rehkow fumbled the hold, forcing McPherson into a miss and allowing Baltimore to turn around and score on the game's final drive.
Nothing is going right for Cinci. When they finally figured out their offense, their defense and special teams let them down. At the rate they're going, don't expect the Bengals to turn things out in time to salvage the season.
Pittsburgh Steelers
All the benefits of a 3-0 start to the season were quickly erased by consecutive losses, including Sunday night's defeat to the Dallas Cowboys. Now, there's no margin for error as the Pittsburgh Steelers try to get their anemic offense to produce while taking some pressure off their defense.
Pittsburgh's lead atop the AFC North has evaporated, and its offense is to blame. Justin Fields led the Steelers to just 226 yards of total offense against a banged-up Cowboys defense that was without Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. That drops their season average to 299.4 yards per game, putting them just ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders and two spots behind the floundering Miami Dolphins.
Steelers fans probably don't want to hear it, but it's time to consider Russell Wilson. Pittsburgh's defense is doing everything it can to limit opponents, but without an offense that can score more than 13 points per game, we will continue to see this team stumble down the standings.
Buffalo Bills
Regression was inevitable. Through the first three weeks of the season, the Buffalo Bills' offensive production didn't match their output. The AFC East leaders were operating above sustainable levels and we've seen them crash in each of the past two weeks. Sadly, Week 6's outcome against the Houston Texans represents the high mark for what we should expect from them moving forward.
The Bills aren't moving the ball downfield. After Sunday's 276-yard effort, Buffalo is now averaging 299.8 yards per game, the 11th-lowest total in the NFL. Still, their 28.4 points per game ranks third in the league, implying that further correction is on the horizon.
Keon Coleman hasn't been the receiver the Bills need him to be, and that's indicative of the team's struggles as a whole. Collectively, Bills' pass-catchers have posted a sub-optimal 63.8% catch rate, with Dalton Kincaid, Dawson Knox, Mack Hollins, and Marquez Valdes-Scantling falling below that low standard.
It seems Buffalo is paying the price for gutting its receivers corps this offseason. Sadly, there doesn't appear to be any quick solutions on the horizon.
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New Orleans Saints
While the on-field product improved in the second half of Monday night's loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, there's still plenty to worry about for the New Orleans Saints moving forward.
Specifically, the health of Derek Carr will have a tremendous impact on the Saints' ability to compete in coming weeks. The four-time Pro Bowler has proven to be a top quarterback again in 2024, posting a 70.3% completion rating with an above-average 7.7 yards per pass attempt. As we saw on the final drive, the Saints aren't the same team without him.
Jake Haener came on in relief against the Chiefs, but the team will also need to evaluate Taysom Hill's readiness or consider deploying Spencer Rattler. In any case, none of the available options maximize their passing game, diminishing the Saints' outlook.
San Francisco 49ers
It's not very often a Kyle Shanahan-led team puts up zero points in the second half, but that's exactly what happened in Week 5's loss to the Arizona Cardinals. Up 13 at the half, the San Francisco 49ers went on to get out-scored 14-0 in the final two quarters, dropping them to 2-3 on the season.
The more concerning trend is that this was the second time in three weeks that the Niners allowed a fourth-quarter comeback against a divisional opponent. San Francisco imploded against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 3 and followed that up with another disheartening effort in Week 5.
Clearly, Christian McCaffrey's absence is profoundly impacting the 49ers' offense, but it's the defensive concerns that limit this team's ceiling. It's time for the 49ers to start worrying, or they risk missing the postseason for the first time since 2020.
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Cincinnati Bengals
There's still time for the Cincinnati Bengals to turn things around, but at this point, we don't think they can. The Bengals have been supremely out-classed at every turn this season, and that was plainly evident in Sunday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens.
With less than six minutes to play, Cincinnati appeared to have a comfortable 10-point lead. However, the Bengals blundered that by allowing the Ravens to score on their two ensuing drives while also missing a crucial fourth-quarter field goal.
When all appeared lost in overtime, the Bengals defense forced Lamar Jackson into a fumble, setting up a game-winning field goal well within Evan McPherson's range. Instead, Ryan Rehkow fumbled the hold, forcing McPherson into a miss and allowing Baltimore to turn around and score on the game's final drive.
Nothing is going right for Cinci. When they finally figured out their offense, their defense and special teams let them down. At the rate they're going, don't expect the Bengals to turn things out in time to salvage the season.
Pittsburgh Steelers
All the benefits of a 3-0 start to the season were quickly erased by consecutive losses, including Sunday night's defeat to the Dallas Cowboys. Now, there's no margin for error as the Pittsburgh Steelers try to get their anemic offense to produce while taking some pressure off their defense.
Pittsburgh's lead atop the AFC North has evaporated, and its offense is to blame. Justin Fields led the Steelers to just 226 yards of total offense against a banged-up Cowboys defense that was without Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. That drops their season average to 299.4 yards per game, putting them just ahead of the Las Vegas Raiders and two spots behind the floundering Miami Dolphins.
Steelers fans probably don't want to hear it, but it's time to consider Russell Wilson. Pittsburgh's defense is doing everything it can to limit opponents, but without an offense that can score more than 13 points per game, we will continue to see this team stumble down the standings.
